Finland’s parliament votes sure to NATO

HELSINKI, Might 17 (Reuters) - Finland's parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly permitted a proposal to apply for membership of the NATO navy 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 however the resolution was pending parliament's approval.

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

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Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto stated the choice was no motive to have a good time because "there's conflict in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO is not going to change our fundamental considering that we'll at all times search peaceful options and we are a peace-loving nation that will at the beginning search diplomatic solutions to each conflict," he stated 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 turn out to be the border between the military alliance and Russia. New tensions would not be a danger only in the course of the software process however relatively a new and permanent situation of our foreign and security coverage," he stated.

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

"Having heard a very large variety of experts and having obtained the opinions of 10 (parliamentary) committees, the international affairs committee agrees with the federal 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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