Finland’s parliament votes yes to NATO

HELSINKI, May 17 (Reuters) - Finland's parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a proposal to apply for membership of the NATO military alliance in a historic coverage shift prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

President Sauli Niinisto and the federal government determined officially on Sunday that Finland would apply for membership but the resolution was pending parliament's approval.

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

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Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto mentioned the decision was no motive to celebrate because "there is war in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO will not change our basic thinking that we'll all the time seek peaceable solutions and we're a peace-loving nation that can initially seek diplomatic solutions to every conflict," he said throughout the debate.

Opponents to the application 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 resulting in it being put to the vote.

"Our border would turn out to be the border between the navy alliance and Russia. New tensions would not be a risk solely through the software course of however moderately a brand new and everlasting situation of our overseas and security coverage," he stated.

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

"Having heard a really giant number of consultants and having acquired the opinions of 10 (parliamentary) committees, the foreign affairs committee agrees with the government that Finland should apply for membership in NATO. This choice is unanimous," chairman Jussi Halla-aho informed reporters.

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

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