UPDATE - FETO declared terrorist group by 42 Asian nations

UPDATES WITH MORE QUOTES FROM TURKISH DEPUTY PARLIAMENT SPEAKER

ANKARA (AA) - Lawmakers from 42 Asian nations have declared the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group blamed for the July 15 defeated coup in Turkey, a terrorist organization.

Turkish Deputy Parliament Speaker Ahmet Aydin told Anadolu Agency on Thursday that FETO was designated a terrorist organization in the final declaration of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly’s (APA) 9th Plenary Session held in Cambodia's Siem Reap province.

Aydin said that in a speech at the gathering, he gave a detailed account of FETO's July 15 coup attempt and asked the member states for their support.

"The final declaration said that Asian Parliamentary Assembly is ready to give a wide range of support to the Turkish Republic's democratically elected government in its fight against the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, for democracy in the country, justice, security, and stability," he said.

Aydin said that 42 APA member states and 26 observer countries attended the meeting, representing almost 70 percent of the world’s population, adding that Turkey was elected the assembly’s president for the 2017-2019 term.

Led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, FETO is accused of orchestrating Turkey’s July 15 coup plot as well as being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through infiltrating Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and the judiciary.

The July 15 defeated coup left 248 martyred and nearly 2,200 wounded.

The APA gathering concludes Friday.