[ripe-list] Country selection criteria for RIPE meetings

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-requirements.pdf

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.