Finland’s parliament votes yes to NATO

HELSINKI, Could 17 (Reuters) - Finland's parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly authorised a proposal to apply for membership of the NATO army 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 but the decision was pending parliament's approval.

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

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Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto stated the decision was no purpose to rejoice as a result of "there's conflict in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO will not change our fundamental pondering that we'll always seek peaceable options and we are a peace-loving nation that may firstly seek diplomatic options to each conflict," he mentioned during the debate.

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

"Our border would become the border between the military alliance and Russia. New tensions wouldn't be a threat only through the software course of however somewhat a new and permanent situation of our overseas and safety policy," he said.

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

"Having heard a really massive number of specialists 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 decision is unanimous," chairman Jussi Halla-aho told reporters.

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

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