Serbia, Turkey, and the European Union

Previously in class we discussed how the Turkey's refusal to use the term "genocide" to describe the mass murders of Armenians post-WWI was detrimentally affecting their chances of entering the EU.  It seems hard for us to understand why a country would continue to argue over nomenclature.  I do realize, however, that psychologically speaking, this is a very difficult thing to do.  After being taught a certain thing for years and years, and especially in the context of such a politically charged situation (i.e., this is not a genocide because Turks were killed too, it was a civil war, the death marches were not death marches, and there is no document saying that the Armenians should be exterminated; we are right and everyone else is wrong), there isn't much we can do to change Turkey's mind.  I have also noticed that there isn't a clear public opinion in terms of what people believe, based on what we have seen and read.  It varies on education, age, and probably exposure to the West and proximity to the Turkish government. 

I bring this up because of an article I read recently on the potential inclusion of Serbia into the EU.  This matter was only officially brought up a couple days ago, beginning a process that may take years.  Why now, after so many years of conflict and controversy in the 1990s, as well as in 2008 following the independence of Kosovo.  These recent events, most notably the targeting and persecution of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo that lead to the NATO bombing of Serbia, have prevented until now its inclusion into the EU.  Additionally, Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian-Serb military commander, was finally indicted on genocide charges after many years, an event that many say finally cleared the way for Serbia's bid for membership.   Last month, Serbia signed an agreement to improve relations with Kosovo.  These steps forward (acknowledging the past and moving towards a more peaceful future) have lead to Serbia's EU candidacy.  The EU is not asking Serbia to recognize Kosovo as an independent country as opposed to province, because not all bloc members agree on that subject.  Because this probably wouldn't happen, in the same vein as Turkey's distaste of the term "genocide", Serbia will have no problem over the next couple years. 

So what does this mean for Turkey?  According to this article, no country that has begun negotiations to become a part of the EU has ever been rejected.  However,  due to the refusal of Turkey to recognize Cyprus (a member of the EU) as independent, negotiations have stalled.  What is interesting to me is that this seems to be the primary concern, not the Armenian controversy as I had been lead to believe.  So to answer the question of whether or not Turkey will be able to continue negotiations with the EU, it depends on Cyprus, not the Armenians, and that is not comparable to the recognition of Serbian history by the Serbian government.