Finland’s parliament votes yes to NATO

HELSINKI, May 17 (Reuters) - Finland's parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly authorised a proposal to use 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 decided 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 against the appliance, Speaker Matti Vanhanen stated.

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Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto mentioned the decision was no purpose to have fun as a result of "there may be conflict in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO will not change our basic thinking that we are going to all the time seek peaceful solutions and we're a peace-loving nation that will in the beginning search diplomatic options to every conflict," he stated throughout the debate.

Opponents to the applying 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 leading to it being put to the vote.

"Our border would develop into the border between the military alliance and Russia. New tensions would not be a risk only in the course of the application course of but fairly a brand new and permanent condition of our overseas and safety policy," he mentioned.

Early on Tuesday, the foreign affairs committee decided to hitch the state management in proposing to parliament that the Nordic country ought to apply for membership.

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

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

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