Finland’s parliament votes sure to NATO

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

President Sauli Niinisto and the government decided formally 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 towards the application, Speaker Matti Vanhanen mentioned.

Register

Overseas Minister Pekka Haavisto stated the choice was no motive to have a good time because "there's struggle in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO is not going to change our primary thinking that we will at all times seek peaceful solutions and we are a peace-loving nation that can at the start seek diplomatic solutions to each battle," he said in the course of the debate.

Opponents to the appliance 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 resulting in it being put to the vote.

"Our border would develop into the border between the navy alliance and Russia. New tensions wouldn't be a threat solely in the course of the application course of however quite a new and everlasting condition of our foreign and security policy," he stated.

Early on Tuesday, the international affairs committee decided to join the state management in proposing to parliament that the Nordic nation ought to apply for membership.

"Having heard a really giant number of experts and having received 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 determination is unanimous," chairman Jussi Halla-aho instructed reporters.

Register

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

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Belief Ideas.