Finland’s parliament votes sure to NATO

HELSINKI, Might 17 (Reuters) - Finland's parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly authorised 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 decided officially on Sunday that Finland would apply for membership however the decision was pending parliament's approval.

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

Register

Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto stated the choice was no purpose to celebrate as a result of "there is battle in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO is not going to change our basic thinking that we will at all times seek peaceful options and we're a peace-loving nation that will at first seek diplomatic solutions to every battle," he mentioned in the course of 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 choice with a counter proposal leading to it being put to the vote.

"Our border would turn into the border between the military alliance and Russia. New tensions would not be a danger solely through the utility process but relatively a new and everlasting situation of our foreign and safety policy," he mentioned.

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

"Having heard a really massive 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 determination is unanimous," chairman Jussi Halla-aho advised reporters.

Register

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

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Belief Rules.