Bakırcı’s statement offended almost all segments of society when he suggested that the men of his region take a second wife from the predominantly Kurdish East and Southeast, where the practice is “common,” saying this would help foster social peace. The AK Party’s Local Governments Department yesterday stated that an investigation has been launched, noting that they have also requested written information from the Rize mayor.
Meanwhile, Bakırcı apologized for his remarks yesterday, saying they were misunderstood. He accused the media of having taken his words out of context and purposefully distorting what he had originally said. In a written statement released yesterday, he said his remarks as they appeared in various press organs did not reflect the truth. He said in his statement: “Yesterday I was talking to journalists about the terrorism issue during the wedding of a lawyer friend of mine, who is from the East. I told them that during my time as mayor, I traveled to almost all the provinces in the East, and that I was in Van with my spouse and a delegation of municipal council members, saying I will continue to visit the East as part of [the government’s] brotherhood project. During a conversation I had there, I said that about 50 years ago, many of our residents of Rize used to have spouses of eastern origin, adding that many brides from the East had come to our region. I emphasized that both kinship relations and trade between the two regions were very strong at the time, and said that the practice of inter-regional marriage should continue in order to strengthen these ties.”
He said the media had deliberately singled out only some of his words to create a sensation. “I apologize before the Turkish public for this misunderstanding,” he said.
