Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic resurrected the Open Balkan initiative, saying that responsible politicians have to show young people across the region that a different future is possible just a day after two students from Bosnia-Herzegovina were awarded scholarships to study in Belgrade at the initiative of Aleksandar Vulin, former minister of defence and internal affairs and now head of the country’s top civilian security agency the BIA.

The two young women from Sarajevo came to the public eye for their posts glorifying convicted Bosnian Serb war criminals.

So what kind of cooperation can the Western Balkans expect given the frequent nationalist incidents that shake up relations between neighbors? The case of the two young Bosnian Serb women is one example.

In her attempt to revive Open Balkan, Brnabic spoke of promoting cooperation and links in the region and a different future. “I primarily mean the 1990s. As responsible politicians, we will show young people in the region that we can create different conditions and a different future,” she said.

At first glance, the scholarships for the two young Bosnian Serb women seem to be exactly what she was talking about if it were not for the fact that they denied the crimes committed in Srebrenica and glorified Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic.

According to Filip Balunovic of the Institute of Philosophy and Social Theory, a narrative was rewarded. “He rewarded the narrative that he thrives on, he – Aleksandar Vulin, that his boss – the Serbian president – thrives on and that the entire political elite of Serbia and a good part of the intellectual elite thrive on,” he said.

Sofija Todorovic of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) thinks the point of the “double talk” is to show that something is being done. “The insisting is only on economic cooperation because that does not oblige us to talk about all the things because of which we are not cooperating,” she said. YIHR feels that there will be no joining forces in full capacity before the authorities start dealing with regional problems with a true desire to resolve them.

Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic is avoiding dealing with the two students who are being given “sanctuary” in Belgrade because they could face charges of inciting hatred and intolerance under Bosnian law. “I really don’t know, I’m not up to date with that. Our attitude towards war crimes is clear – everyone who committed war crimes should be held accountable but… all that amounts to nothing when you see the posts that people who have appeared before the Hague tribunal hold in Croatia. War criminals are greeted at the airport in Bosnia-Herzegovina. I want equal treatment for all,” Dacic said.

YIHR says that the whole thing is being viewed at the wrong level – instead of the Sarajevo University school reacting with disciplinary measures, the prosecution is being engaged and it did not react when Bosnia-Herzegovina’s top officials said much worse things.

And Aleksandar Vulin – he found himself the role of saviour in the whole thing.

“Actually, he’s using the two young women who live in a different environment which he obviously does not understand, using them for his nationalist, political goals because America imposed sanctions on him,” Teodorovic said.