Finland’s parliament votes sure to NATO

HELSINKI, Might 17 (Reuters) - Finland's parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a proposal to use 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 determined officially 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 towards the appliance, Speaker Matti Vanhanen stated.

Register

International Minister Pekka Haavisto stated the choice was no reason to rejoice as a result of "there's warfare in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO won't change our primary pondering that we are going to always seek peaceful solutions and we are a peace-loving nation that can firstly search diplomatic solutions to each battle," he said during the debate.

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

"Our border would grow to be the border between the navy alliance and Russia. New tensions would not be a risk only during the application process but quite a new and everlasting situation of our foreign and security coverage," he said.

Early on Tuesday, the overseas affairs committee decided to join the state leadership in proposing to parliament that the Nordic nation ought to apply for membership.

"Having heard a very giant variety of specialists and having obtained the opinions of 10 (parliamentary) committees, the foreign affairs committee agrees with the government that Finland should apply for membership in NATO. This determination is unanimous," chairman Jussi Halla-aho advised reporters.

Register

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

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.