Finland’s Parliament gives final approval for NATO bid

By JARI TANNER
Associated Press

HELSINKI (AP) — Finland’s Parliament has given final approval for the Nordic country’s historic bid to join NATO. Lawmakers in the 200-seat legislature voted 184-7 to allow for Finland’s accession to the Western military alliance. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s center-left government initiated the vote, seeking to secure the approval of her country’s lawmakers before an April 2 general election. Two of NATO’s 30 existing members, Turkey and Hungary, have yet to ratify the joint application Finland and neighboring Sweden made last year. Admitting new members requires unanimous approval. Hungary’s parliament was scheduled to start debating the Nordic duo’s NATO membership on Wednesday, with expected ratification at the end of March.