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Europe

Finland's parliament overwhelmingly votes to join NATO

Finland is expected to submit its NATO application on May 18

By Peter Aitken Fox News
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Sweden and Finland seeking NATO membership Video

Sweden and Finland seeking NATO membership

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Finland’s parliament voted almost unanimously in favor of joining NATO, triggering the formal process to apply to the alliance. 

The Finnish parliament supported the motion with 188 out of a possible 200 votes, with the chairman not voting. The result allows for Finland to now submit its application to NATO, which it expects to do on May 18. 

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Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said the decision was no reason to celebrate because "there is war in Europe." 

  • Sweden Finland Prime Ministers
    Image 1 of 4

    Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson receives Finland's President Sauli Niinisto  for bilateral talks at the Adelcrantzska house in Stockholm, Sweden May 17, 2022.    

  • FILE - Finland's President Sauli Niinisto makes a point during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, Wednesday, May 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool, File)
    Image 2 of 4

    FILE - Finland's President Sauli Niinisto makes a point during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, Wednesday, May 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool, File) (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool, File)

  • NATO secretary general stoltenberg
    Image 3 of 4

    NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, center, participates in a media conference with Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, left, and Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde, right, at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Jan. 24. (AP/Olivier Matthys)

  • Turkey President Erdogan
    Image 4 of 4

    Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan holds a news conference during the NATO summit at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on June 14, 2021. (Reuters/Yves Herman/Pool/File Photo)

"Finland's membership in NATO will not change our basic thinking that we will always seek peaceful solutions and we are a peace-loving nation that will first and foremost seek diplomatic solutions to every conflict," he said during the debate, according to Reuters.

The foreign affairs committee pushed to join NATO after listening to statements from "a very large number of experts" and opinions from 10 parliamentary committees. 

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Finland and Sweden have long-abstained from trying to join the alliance, viewing their neutrality between NATO and Russia as a necessary position to maintain stability in the region. Their position changed following the invasion of Ukraine, saying that the "security environment has changed" as a result of Russia’s actions.  

Finland will now face the difficult task of convincing Turkey to support its bid after President Tayyip Recep Erdogan said he would block Finland and Sweden’s admission. Any applicant requires approval from all 30 native members of NATO. 

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Russia has continually pushed back on the pair of applications, claiming that Sweden and Finland’s membership will "inflict considerable damage to the security of Northern Europe and Europe as a whole." 

Peter Aitken is a Fox News Digital reporter with a focus on national and global news.