01.04.2025 12:11
The Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and Istanbul MP from the DEM Party, Sırrı Süreyya Önder, stated that he would adhere to the advice sent to him by Volkan Konak before his death, saying, "I will go to the Black Sea for the final seal of peace."
The Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and DEM Party Istanbul Deputy Sırrı Süreyya Önder penned a memory of the folk music artist Volkan Konak, who passed away yesterday, during the peace process. Önder stated that he would keep the advice Konak sent him before his death, saying, "I will go to the Black Sea for the final seal of peace."
"WE WERE LIVING THROUGH A PROCESS"
Önder's article about Volkan Konak was shared by the T24 news site. In his article, Önder recounted how Konak treated them with hospitality during the peace process: "We were living through a process again. Again, when the concept of peace even entered their dreams, there was a group that would become furious, saying, 'God forbid, the devil has whispered to them.'
It was again our duty to explain that we had no eyes on anyone's land or words on their flag, with a sense of compassion. How many times did I say 'again,' right? This country has a fate borrowed from Gördüşlü Sisyphus. And it has no intention of escaping from that debt. Sisyphus rolled the boulder, and we chased our tails for years. We said, let's explain peace to the first person from the Black Sea. If we could explain it to them, the rest would be easy. I had a dear friend at that time. He encouraged me; he eased my mind. He said that the 'people from my hometown who love to speak with passion' are actually good people. He wished for the roads to be safe. We set out with the intention of 'not letting them be an excuse for our integrity.' We could even drink tea in Mumhaneönü if peace came...
"WE RAN INTO A BAD DAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE BLACK SEA"
It didn't happen! We ran into a bad day for the people of the Black Sea. Can a human being cover 700 kilometers like rain? We ate and turned back. Once again, a child of the Black Sea, Volkan Konak, opposed this lynching mob with the flavor and familiarity of a folk song. He said, 'Come to Maçka and stay at my house.' He said for us, 'These are trustworthy people'... That day, he built a grand inn in our hearts, just like his surname.
"HE LIVED WITH HONOR, COMPLETED HIS TIME WITH HONOR"
We are again in a process of processes. He had sent a message through a friend. 'Tell that crazy one to travel the whole country first, and then come to the Black Sea last'... He entered our lives with honor, lived with honor, and completed his time with honor. He will be resurrected with honor, God willing. As for me, I will keep the advice he sent. I will go to the Black Sea for the final seal of peace. I no longer wish to drink tea in Mumhaneönü. At his grave in Maçka, I might sing this folk song for all the loves in the world;
'There is darkness in the sea, is this boat coming, is it wrong for me to cry if I miss my beloved? Oh, smoke, smoke, you have surrounded all the mountains, if you knew the pain of my heart, you would cry. The Black Sea has darkened, it has come this way, it has come, let my beloved know, my eyes are filled with tears.' Maybe I will sing 'If my breath could touch yours again.' Farewell, my beautiful-hearted brother. May the roads keep you safe like all those who left too soon.'