Finland’s parliament votes yes to NATO

HELSINKI, Could 17 (Reuters) - Finland's parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly accepted 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 government decided formally on Sunday that Finland would apply for membership however the resolution was pending parliament's approval.

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

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Overseas Minister Pekka Haavisto mentioned the choice was no purpose to celebrate because "there is battle in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO will not change our basic pondering that we will all the time seek peaceable solutions and we are a peace-loving nation that will at first seek diplomatic options to each battle," he mentioned through the debate.

Opponents to the appliance included some lawmakers from the Left Alliance, 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 military alliance and Russia. New tensions would not be a threat only through the utility course of however somewhat a brand new and permanent condition of our international and safety policy," he stated.

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

"Having heard a very large variety of experts and having received the opinions of 10 (parliamentary) committees, the foreign affairs committee agrees with the 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; Enhancing by Robert Birsel and Alison Williams

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