Finland’s parliament votes yes to NATO

HELSINKI, Might 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 formally on Sunday that Finland would apply for membership however the choice was pending parliament's approval.

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

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

"Finland's membership in NATO will not change our basic considering that we will all the time seek peaceable options and we're a peace-loving nation that can at the start search diplomatic options to every battle," he said in the course of the debate.

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

"Our border would develop into the border between the army alliance and Russia. New tensions wouldn't be a danger only during the software process but slightly a new and everlasting situation of our international and security policy," he mentioned.

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

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

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

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