Finland’s parliament votes yes to NATO

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

President Sauli Niinisto and the government decided officially 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 stated.

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Overseas Minister Pekka Haavisto stated the choice was no purpose to have a good time as a result of "there is battle in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO will not change our basic considering that we'll at all times seek peaceable solutions and we are a peace-loving nation that will firstly seek diplomatic options to each conflict," he said through 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 develop into the border between the military alliance and Russia. New tensions would not be a danger only in the course of the utility course of but relatively a new and permanent situation of our overseas and safety policy," he stated.

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

"Having heard a really massive variety of consultants and having obtained the opinions of 10 (parliamentary) committees, the overseas affairs committee agrees with the government that Finland ought to apply for membership in NATO. This choice 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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