LONDON: Finland's parliament on Monday unanimously approved a defense treaty which allows a US military presence and the storage of defense materials in the Nordic country, local media reported. The US-Finnish Defense Cooperation Agreement signed by the government last December grants Washington access to 15 of its military bases for potential use by US forces and will also allow the US to bring defense equipment, supplies, materials, and soldiers to Finland, according to national broadcaster Yle. The agreement, which creates a framework for US activities and a more permanent presence in the Scandinavian country, will see the creation of certain military zones, which will include facilities to which only US personnel will have access to. In addition, cooperation between the two nations in crisis situations will be strengthened. Kimmo Kiljunen, social democratic chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, hailed passage of the treaty as a "historic moment" for his nation. "The task of this agreement, just like the task of Finland's NATO membership, is to strengthen the security of Finland and the Finnish people," he stressed. Eleven other NATO countries, including Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, have signed similar agreements with the US. The vote on Sweden's defense pact on June 18 was preceded by a heated debate, with critics warning the treaty could lead to the deployment of nuclear weapons and permanent US military bases in Sweden. In Finland, however, lawmakers took steps to make sure the treaty applies national law to nuclear weapons, whose import and transit is prohibited on Finnish territory, according to an earlier statement by the government. After submitting its report on the agreement last week, Helsinki stated the pact is grounded in respect for Finland's sovereignty, legislation, and obligations under international law. Finland began negotiating the deal with Washington after applying for NATO membership in May 2022, after Russia started its war on Ukraine a few months earlier. Source: Anadol u Agency