Finland’s parliament votes yes to NATO

HELSINKI, Might 17 (Reuters) - Finland's parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly accepted 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 determination was pending parliament's approval.

Of the 200 lawmakers, 188 voted in favour and eight towards the application, Speaker Matti Vanhanen said.

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Overseas Minister Pekka Haavisto said the decision was no reason to celebrate because "there's conflict in Europe".

"Finland's membership in NATO won't change our primary thinking that we'll at all times seek peaceable solutions and we're a peace-loving nation that can at the beginning search diplomatic options to every battle," he mentioned in the course of the debate.

Opponents to the appliance included some lawmakers from the Left Alliance, a part of Finland's five-party coalition, amongst them Markus Mustajarvi who challenged the decision with a counter proposal leading to it being put to the vote.

"Our border would turn into the border between the navy alliance and Russia. New tensions would not be a danger only through the application process however quite a new and permanent condition of our overseas and security coverage," he said.

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

"Having heard a very giant number of specialists and having acquired the opinions of 10 (parliamentary) committees, the international affairs committee agrees with the government that Finland ought to apply for membership in NATO. This choice is unanimous," chairman Jussi Halla-aho instructed reporters.

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

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