New Delhi, June 17 -- Finland's parliament has approved a landmark amendment removing long-standing legal restrictions on the import, transport, and storage of nuclear weapons, marking one of the most significant changes to the country's defense policy since joining NATO.

The legislation passed on Wednesday with 125 lawmakers voting in favor and 61 against, while 13 members of parliament were absent during the vote. The decision clears a major legal obstacle that Finnish officials argued was incompatible with the country's role as a NATO member.

The approved amendments revise provisions of Finland's Nuclear Energy Act and related legislation that had prohibited the import, possession, transport, and storage of nuclear weapons on Finnish...