Finland’s parliament votes yes to NATO

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

President Sauli Niinisto and the government determined formally on Sunday that Finland would apply for membership however the determination was pending parliament's approval.

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

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Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto mentioned the choice was no reason to have fun because "there is conflict in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO won't change our basic considering that we are going to at all times seek peaceful solutions and we are a peace-loving nation that can at the beginning search diplomatic solutions to each conflict," he said throughout the debate.

Opponents to the application included some lawmakers from the Left Alliance, part of Finland's five-party coalition, among them Markus Mustajarvi who challenged the choice 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 in the course of the utility process but quite a new and permanent situation of our international and safety policy," he stated.

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 really massive variety of specialists and having acquired the opinions of 10 (parliamentary) committees, the overseas 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; Enhancing by Robert Birsel and Alison Williams

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