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Austrian lawmakers meet with Hiroshima mayor, hope meeting of foreign ministers will advance nuclear abolition

Six members of the Austrian Parliament, also members of the Austria-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Association, visited Hiroshima and met with Mayor Kazumi Matsui on April 7. They expressed hope that, during the meeting of foreign ministers to take place in Hiroshima on April 10 and 11, progress will be made toward the goal of abolishing of nuclear weapons.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Hermann Krist, 65, said that the seven nations taking part in the meeting should clearly state that they will spare no effort in ensuring that the unparalleled tragedy of the atomic bombings will not happen again.

Austria has been playing a leading role in discussions to legally ban nuclear arms by focusing on the inhumane nature of these weapons. With this in mind, Mr. Matsui said he hopes that the U.N. working group, established in February to discuss measures to advance nuclear disarmament, will produce positive results. The group from Austria is visiting Japan to study the Japanese parliamentary system. They arrived on April 4 and will leave on April 8.

(Originally published on April 8, 2016)

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