Finland’s parliament votes sure to NATO

HELSINKI, May 17 (Reuters) - Finland's parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly accredited a proposal to apply 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 determined officially 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 against the applying, Speaker Matti Vanhanen stated.

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International Minister Pekka Haavisto said the choice was no purpose to have fun as a result of "there's warfare in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO will not change our primary pondering that we will at all times seek peaceable solutions and we're a peace-loving nation that may initially search diplomatic solutions to every battle," he stated through the debate.

Opponents to the appliance 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 become the border between the military alliance and Russia. New tensions would not be a danger solely through the utility course of but rather a brand new and permanent condition of our overseas and security coverage," he mentioned.

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

"Having heard a very massive variety of specialists 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 resolution 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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