Finland’s parliament votes yes to NATO

HELSINKI, May 17 (Reuters) - Finland's parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly permitted 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 government decided formally on Sunday that Finland would apply for membership but the resolution was pending parliament's approval.

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

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International Minister Pekka Haavisto said the decision was no purpose to celebrate because "there may be battle in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO will not change our fundamental thinking that we will at all times seek peaceable options and we are a peace-loving nation that may first and foremost search diplomatic solutions to every conflict," he mentioned in the course of the debate.

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

"Our border would turn out to be the border between the military alliance and Russia. New tensions wouldn't be a risk solely throughout the utility course of but reasonably a brand new and permanent situation of our foreign and safety coverage," he mentioned.

Early on Tuesday, the international affairs committee decided to affix the state management in proposing to parliament that the Nordic country should apply for membership.

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

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

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