Finnish Parliament has supported country's accession to NATO
The Finnish parliament on Tuesday (May 17th) backed the country's accession to NATO.
As Censor.NET reports, this was reported by Ukrinform with reference to Yle.
188 deputies voted "for", 8 - "against", none of the deputies abstained. Three more deputies were absent.
It is noted that the vote took place because the MP of the "Union of Left Forces" Marcus Mustajarvi made a proposal in response to the refusal to join the military alliance. It was rejected by a majority of parliamentarians.
The president and government decided on Sunday that Finland would apply to join NATO. Sweden has also decided to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Earlier, the Finnish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee called for Finland to apply for NATO membership "with full rights and responsibilities".
"Strong support from the parliament of the country's leadership in promoting Finland's membership in NATO. 188 deputies voted in favor of applying for membership - 8. A long and stable line of foreign and security policy, which seeks consensus, is still in force today "- commented on the result of the vote, Prime Minister Sanna Marin, according to Helsingin Sanomat.
President Sauli Niinisto, according to whom the final decision on the application will most likely be made remotely, during a visit to Sweden at the invitation of King Charles XVI Gustav.
If the application is submitted and approved by the parliaments of all NATO member states, a final vote will be held in the Finnish parliament for final approval. The Committee on Constitutional Affairs is still deciding whether a simple majority or at least two-thirds of the vote is needed in this case. However, the debate showed strong support from deputies and obtaining such a large number of votes should not be a problem.
