Finland’s parliament votes sure to NATO

HELSINKI, May 17 (Reuters) - Finland's parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly accredited a proposal to apply for membership of the NATO navy alliance in a historic coverage shift prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

President Sauli Niinisto and the government determined officially on Sunday that Finland would apply for membership but the decision was pending parliament's approval.

Of the 200 lawmakers, 188 voted in favour and eight towards the applying, Speaker Matti Vanhanen said.

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Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said the choice was no cause to have a good time as a result of "there may be war in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO is not going to change our primary pondering that we will always search peaceable options and we are a peace-loving nation that will before everything search diplomatic options to every conflict," he said throughout the debate.

Opponents to the appliance included some lawmakers from the Left Alliance, a part of Finland's five-party coalition, amongst them Markus Mustajarvi who challenged the decision with a counter proposal leading to it being put to the vote.

"Our border would become the border between the navy alliance and Russia. New tensions wouldn't be a danger only throughout the software process however quite a brand new and everlasting situation of our international and security policy," he stated.

Early on Tuesday, the overseas affairs committee determined to hitch the state management in proposing to parliament that the Nordic country should apply for membership.

"Having heard a very large variety of consultants and having acquired the opinions of 10 (parliamentary) committees, the international affairs committee agrees with the federal government that Finland should apply for membership in NATO. This determination is unanimous," chairman Jussi Halla-aho instructed reporters.

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Reporting by Anne Kauranen; Modifying by Robert Birsel and Alison Williams

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