Finland’s parliament votes yes to NATO

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

President Sauli Niinisto and the federal government determined officially on Sunday that Finland would apply for membership however the decision 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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Overseas Minister Pekka Haavisto mentioned the decision was no motive to have a good time because "there may be war in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO is not going to change our primary pondering that we will at all times seek peaceful solutions and we are a peace-loving nation that can at first search diplomatic solutions to every conflict," he stated during the debate.

Opponents to the applying included some lawmakers from the Left Alliance, a 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 grow to be the border between the army alliance and Russia. New tensions would not be a danger solely in the course of the application process but somewhat a new and permanent condition of our international and safety policy," he stated.

Early on Tuesday, the overseas affairs committee decided to affix the state leadership in proposing to parliament that the Nordic nation ought to apply for membership.

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

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

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