The location has been selected long before the war in Ukraine. — Matthias Merkel [https://cdn.staclar.com/logos/novecore/newlogo.png] [Sent from Front] On August 31, 2022 at 2:05 PM GMT+2 tmp.200215@gmail.com<mailto:tmp.200215@gmail.com> wrote: RIPE Chair: Based on what criteria has Serbia - a country that actively supports war in Ukraine - been selected as a host for the upcoming RIPE meeting? Thank you.

Dear Vasia, On 30/08/2022 13:31, Vasia Pupkin wrote:

RIPE Chair:

Based on what criteria has Serbia - a country that actively supports war in Ukraine - been selected as a host for the upcoming RIPE meeting?

We chose this location because we think it's important to spread our meetings across the RIPE region where possible. This will be our first RIPE Meeting in Southeast Europe since 2015 (RIPE 71 in Bucharest). Belgrade in particular was chosen because Serbia has an active community and we have an enthusiastic host there who can meet our requirements: https://www.ripe.net/participate/meetings/ripe-meetings/ripe-meeting-host-re... We had originally planned for RIPE 82 to be in Belgrade (May 2021). This was later moved due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I understand that there are some concerns related to the war. We were also disappointed to see the recently-announced cancellation of the 2022 EuroPride, which is being held in Belgrade this month. We are monitoring the situation closely with our local hosts who are keeping us updated. RIPE has always worked to bridge gaps and build relationships among the network operator community. I think this is something we can be proud of as a community, and I hope it will continue. Kind regards Mirjam Kühne PS: Choosing RIPE Meeting locations also depend on host proposals we receive. We will soon send out a call for hosting future RIPE Meetings.