Finland’s parliament votes sure to NATO

HELSINKI, Might 17 (Reuters) - Finland's parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly accepted 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 federal government determined formally 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 against the applying, Speaker Matti Vanhanen mentioned.

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International Minister Pekka Haavisto stated the decision was no cause to have fun because "there is struggle in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO won't change our basic considering that we will always seek peaceable solutions and we're a peace-loving nation that can at the start seek diplomatic options to every battle," he stated through the debate.

Opponents to the application 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 grow to be the border between the army alliance and Russia. New tensions would not be a threat solely throughout the software course of but quite a new and permanent condition of our overseas and safety policy," he stated.

Early on Tuesday, the international affairs committee determined to join the state management in proposing to parliament that the Nordic nation ought to apply for membership.

"Having heard a very large variety of specialists and having obtained the opinions of 10 (parliamentary) committees, the international 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; Modifying by Robert Birsel and Alison Williams

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