ISTANBUL 

Moscow has criticized the European Parliament’s decision to designate Russia a “state sponsor of terrorism.”

“I think it is obvious to all sane people, I don’t have a medical degree,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in response to a question on the matter during an interview with Moscow TV on the sidelines of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit in Armenia’s capital Yerevan.

On Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova proposed to “recognize the European Parliament as a sponsor of idiocy” in a message published on her Telegram account.

The European Parliament also designated Russia as a state which “uses means of terrorism” after a vote adopted the resolution with 494 votes in favor, 58 against and 44 abstentions.

“MEPs highlight that the deliberate attacks and atrocities committed by Russian forces and their proxies against civilians in Ukraine, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and other serious violations of international and humanitarian law amount to acts of terror and constitute war crimes,” a statement by the European Parliament said.

It also called on the EU to “further isolate Russia internationally, including when it comes to Russia’s membership of international organizations and bodies such as the United Nations Security Council.”

“As the EU currently cannot officially designate states as sponsors of terrorism, Parliament calls on the EU and its member states to put in place the proper legal framework and consider adding Russia to such a list,” it added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the European Parliament’s decision.