Finland’s parliament votes yes to NATO

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

President Sauli Niinisto and the federal government decided formally on Sunday that Finland would apply for membership but the decision was pending parliament's approval.

Of the 200 lawmakers, 188 voted in favour and eight in opposition to the appliance, Speaker Matti Vanhanen said.

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Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto stated the decision was no purpose to celebrate because "there's conflict in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO is not going to change our primary thinking that we are going to all the time seek peaceable options and we are a peace-loving nation that may first and foremost search diplomatic options to every conflict," he stated 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 choice with a counter proposal leading to it being put to the vote.

"Our border would develop into the border between the navy alliance and Russia. New tensions would not be a danger only in the course of the application course of but rather a brand new and everlasting condition of our international and security coverage," he mentioned.

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

"Having heard a really giant number of consultants and having acquired the opinions of 10 (parliamentary) committees, the foreign affairs committee agrees with the federal government that Finland ought to apply for membership in NATO. This determination is unanimous," chairman Jussi Halla-aho informed reporters.

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

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