Sırrı Süreyya Önder said he would follow Volkan Konak's advice! 'For peace...'

Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and DEM Party Istanbul MP Sırrı Süreyya Önder wrote about a memory he had with folk musician Volkan Konak, who passed away yesterday, during the resolution process. Stating that he would follow the advice Konak sent him before his death, Önder said, "I will go to the Black Sea for the final seal of peace."

The T24 news site shared Önder's article regarding Volkan Konak.

In his article, Önder recounted a memory regarding how hospitable Konak was to them during the resolution process:

"We were living through one of those processes again. Once again, there was a mob that would get furious whenever the concept of peace even entered their dreams, saying, 'God forbid, the devil has whispered into their ears.'

It fell to us again to explain, with the gentleness of the oppressed, that we had no designs on anyone's land and no words against their flag. I said 'again' so many times, didn't I? This country has a destiny borrowed from the Sisyphus of Gördüş. And it has no intention of paying off the debt. For years, Sisyphus chased the rock, and we chased our own tails. We said let's explain peace to the Black Sea people first. If we could explain it to them, the rest would be easy. I had a beloved at the time. She encouraged me; she put me at ease. She said her fellow countrymen, who 'love to speak with passion,' were actually good people. She wished for the roads to protect us. We set out on the road, intending for it to be 'an excuse for our unity.' If peace came, we would even be able to drink tea in Mumhaneönü...

It didn't happen! We hit a bad day for the Black Sea people. Can a human being eat 700 kilometers of stones like rain? We ate them and turned right back. It was Volkan Konak, a son of the Black Sea, who stood up to this lynch mob with the flavor and intimacy of an improvised folk song. He said, 'Come to Maçka, stay in my house.' He said of us, 'These are people whose word can be trusted'... That day, he built a mansion in our hearts that was higher than the highest. Just like his surname.

We are in one of those processes again. He had sent word through a friend: 'Tell that madman, let him travel the whole country this time, and come to the Black Sea last'... He entered our lives with honor, lived with honor, and completed his time with honor. May he be resurrected with honor, God willing. As for me, I will follow the advice he sent. I will go to the Black Sea for the final seal of peace. I no longer have a desire to drink tea in Mumhaneönü. At his graveside in Maçka, perhaps I will recite this folk song for all the loves of the world;

'There is a shadow on the sea, is that a boat coming, I missed my beloved, is it a shame if I cry. Oh mists, mists, you have wrapped all the mountains, if you knew the pain in my heart you would cry. The Black Sea has darkened, it has overflowed to this side, give news to my beloved, my eyes have filled and overflowed' Perhaps I will sing 'If only my breath touched yours once more.' Farewell, my kind-hearted brother. May the roads protect you, like all those who leave before their time."