Finland’s parliament votes yes to NATO

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

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

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Overseas Minister Pekka Haavisto mentioned the decision was no cause to have fun because "there is war in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO is not going to change our primary considering that we will always seek peaceable options and we're a peace-loving nation that will first and foremost seek diplomatic options to each conflict," he mentioned during the debate.

Opponents to the applying included some lawmakers from the Left Alliance, a part of Finland's five-party coalition, among 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 navy alliance and Russia. New tensions wouldn't be a risk only during the utility process however moderately a new and permanent situation of our overseas and security policy," he mentioned.

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

"Having heard a very massive 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 determination is unanimous," chairman Jussi Halla-aho told reporters.

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

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