Finland's parliament greenlights NATO application

Finland's Parliament on Tuesday endorsed the government's plan to apply for the membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The vote was 188 in favor and eight against.

The parliamentary vote was technically a response to the government's statement about its intentions. At this stage, no formal parliamentary approval was required in Finland.

However, Prime Minister Sanna Marin and President Sauli Niinisto had insisted that a parliamentary opinion is obtained before the government and president proceed with submitting the application to NATO.

On Sunday, Finland made the official decision to start the process of the country's application to become a NATO member.

The governments of Finland and Sweden intend to jointly hand in their NATO application in Brussels.