The Finnish parliament has a large majority for NATO membership

Finnish Prime Minister Sana Marini, accompanied by Foreign Minister Peka Havistos, in parliament on Tuesday. DPA Europe Press (Europe Press)

The Finnish parliament overwhelmingly approved the Scandinavian president and government’s proposal to apply for NATO membership. In all, 188 delegates supported him; eight against; Three were not present at the parliamentary session. The legislature’s approval was the last necessary procedure for Helsinki to formally request – along with Sweden, which on Monday expressed its intention to join the alliance – its commitment to the transatlantic organization. Finnish President Saul Niinisto and the top man of the five-party coalition announced on Sunday that they would join NATO.

On Monday, a marathon of more than 14 hours was held in the Finnish parliament, in which almost 200 MPs took part. There were few votes against accession, but several representatives of different political formations demanded that they not allow the deployment of nuclear weapons on their territory in the future. Unlike Sweden, where the left and the Green Party held out against joining the military bloc until the end, all parliamentary formations in Helsinki have said in recent weeks that they would support NATO membership in a new security situation. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, several deputies from different parties were elected to personally express their refusal to join the organization founded in 1949. Mayor Matti Vanhanen was unable to vote during the session.

This Tuesday, the Nordic country’s foreign affairs committee met to analyze the previous day’s parliamentary debates and decide whether to support the Atlantic Alliance’s head of state and government led by Social Democrat Sanaa Marin. “After listening to several experts on this matter and receiving the advice of a dozen parliamentary committees, we are ready to announce that Finland should apply for NATO membership,” Youssef Hala-Ahom told a news conference. Chairman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Committee and member of the Finnish far-right formation party. “Finland’s aggression against a neighboring country was significantly affected by Finland’s security. “Staying outside of NATO involves risks we should not take,” Hala-Aho said in a speech read at the start of a parliamentary session on Tuesday.

nuclear weapons

Hala-Aho noted that he does not consider it necessary that the official application for alliance membership should contain reservations to rule out the possibility of Finland getting a nuclear weapon in the future, as Sweden expected when applying for NATO membership. The chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs emphasized that he does not believe that the possibility of placing nuclear weapons on Finnish territory is an option to be considered by the Atlantic Alliance, and recalled that the current legislation of the Scandinavian country does not deal with nuclear energy. Permit.

Unlike Finland, neighboring Sweden was not required to vote in parliament to approve NATO membership, although a parliamentary debate was held on Monday, attended by six of the eight leaders represented in the Assembly. In favor of the punishment. Only environmentalists and ex-communists (representing more than 10% of the seats) refused to join the alliance. Sweden’s minority-ruled Social Democratic Party changed its stance on Sunday against part of a military organization it has championed for more than seven decades.

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Both Sweden and Finland ruled out a referendum a few weeks ago to give the green light to NATO membership. Opinion polls in both countries show that public opinion has shifted sharply in favor of joining the Atlantic Alliance following the Russian aggression against Ukraine, although support was very weak in the two Scandinavian countries late last year.

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