MOSCOW, Jan. 25 (Xinhuanet) -- The lower house of Russia's parliament condemned the support of foreign intelligence services for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Russia on Wednesday, days after four British diplomats were accused of spying in Moscow.

    In a statement issued by the State Duma, deputies expressed concern about "the funding of NGOs by individuals engaged in intelligence activities on the territory of Russia, namely some staff members of the British embassy."

    On Monday, the Russian Federal Security Service said it had uncovered four British diplomats who were engaged in spying activities in Moscow that included use of a communication device hidden in a rock and funding of NGOs in Russia.

    "Such actions undermine trust in NGOs as a generally recognized, important institution of civil society," the statement said.

    "The practice of interaction of members of special services with NGOs deserves denunciation by the parliaments of European nations," it said.

    The State Duma will forward this statement to the parliaments of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe, the Interfax news agency reported. Enditem