Finland’s parliament votes sure to NATO

HELSINKI, May 17 (Reuters) - Finland's parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly authorized a proposal to use for membership of the NATO navy 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 however the choice was pending parliament's approval.

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

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Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said the decision was no cause to have a good time because "there is battle in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO will not change our basic pondering that we'll at all times seek peaceable solutions and we are a peace-loving nation that can first and foremost search diplomatic options to each battle," he mentioned during the debate.

Opponents to the applying 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 grow to be the border between the navy alliance and Russia. New tensions would not be a threat only through the application course of however somewhat a brand new and everlasting situation of our overseas and security coverage," he mentioned.

Early on Tuesday, the foreign 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 acquired the opinions of 10 (parliamentary) committees, the overseas affairs committee agrees with the federal government that Finland ought to apply for membership in NATO. This decision 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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