Finland’s parliament votes yes to NATO

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

President Sauli Niinisto and the federal government determined formally on Sunday that Finland would apply for membership however the determination was pending parliament's approval.

Of the 200 lawmakers, 188 voted in favour and eight in opposition to the applying, Speaker Matti Vanhanen mentioned.

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International Minister Pekka Haavisto said the decision was no motive to have fun as a result of "there's struggle in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO won't change our basic pondering that we'll at all times search peaceful solutions and we're a peace-loving nation that may at first search diplomatic solutions to each conflict," he mentioned during 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 resulting in it being put to the vote.

"Our border would develop into the border between the military alliance and Russia. New tensions would not be a threat solely during the utility process but rather a brand new and permanent condition of our foreign and safety policy," he mentioned.

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

"Having heard a really large number of consultants and having received the opinions of 10 (parliamentary) committees, the international affairs committee agrees with the government that Finland ought to apply for membership in NATO. This choice is unanimous," chairman Jussi Halla-aho told reporters.

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

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