Finland’s parliament votes yes to NATO

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

President Sauli Niinisto and the government determined officially 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 towards the applying, Speaker Matti Vanhanen mentioned.

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Overseas Minister Pekka Haavisto mentioned the choice was no purpose to rejoice because "there may be warfare in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO is not going to change our basic considering that we'll always seek peaceable options and we're a peace-loving nation that may firstly search diplomatic options to every conflict," he mentioned during the debate.

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

"Our border would change into the border between the navy alliance and Russia. New tensions would not be a threat solely throughout the application course of but relatively a new and everlasting condition of our international and safety policy," he stated.

Early on Tuesday, the international affairs committee determined to hitch the state leadership in proposing to parliament that the Nordic nation should apply for membership.

"Having heard a very giant variety of specialists and having acquired the opinions of 10 (parliamentary) committees, the foreign affairs committee agrees with the government that Finland ought to apply for membership in NATO. This resolution 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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