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 policy shift prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

President Sauli Niinisto and the government determined officially 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 towards the appliance, Speaker Matti Vanhanen mentioned.

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Overseas Minister Pekka Haavisto stated the decision was no reason to have a good time as a result of "there is struggle in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO is not going to change our primary thinking that we will always seek peaceful options and we are a peace-loving nation that will at the start seek diplomatic options to every battle," he stated during 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 decision with a counter proposal leading to it being put to the vote.

"Our border would turn out to be the border between the army alliance and Russia. New tensions would not be a danger solely throughout the software course of however fairly a new and everlasting condition of our international and security policy," he mentioned.

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

"Having heard a very giant number of consultants and having obtained 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 advised reporters.

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

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