The GSMAorganizer of Mobile World Congress (MWC) of Barcelona, announced that has vetoed Russia of the event due to the worrying events that have taken place in recent days. Therefore, the said country will not have a pavilion in the most important fair of the mobile industry. The organization also condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“In the face of this emerging situation and considering the tragic loss of life, the MWC seems irrelevant in these circumstances. The MWC is a unifying event with a vision of convening the mobile ecosystem to advance the ways and means in which connectivity can ensure that people, industry and society prosper,” the GSMA said in a statement shared with Reuters.
The veto comes a few days before the start of MWC 2022. Although there were doubts about celebrating it due to the rebound in COVID-19 cases throughout Europe, the organizers went ahead. Of course, promising that the event will take place with all sanitary measures. This year’s edition is expected to bring together some 50,000 attendees.
Indeed, few — or no one — expected that the world would be experiencing such an alarming situation in just the second month of the year. However, at least the current state of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia has not prevented MWC 2022 from continuing. The GSMA said to be attentive to all sanctions that are being imposed on Russia from different parts of the world:
“The situation is rapidly evolving and we understand that a number of countries are considering broader sanctions against Russia.”
It was expected that at least 20 Russian companies had a presence at MWC 2022, which will no longer happen. “There is a sanctions list by the United States and these companies will not be able to participate. And to the rest, we urge you to do the right thing and, for most, this will mean that you stay home to change the situation,” stated John Hoffman, CEO of the GSMA.
MWC 2022 will be held from February 28 to March 3 in Barcelona. Obviously, in hypertextual We will have coverage of the event.