Albania: Protests erupt over Kushner-linked resort plan

Thousands of people protested in Albania’s capital Tirana on 3 June in a wave of Albania protests against a planned €1.4 billion luxury resort project linked to Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s investment firm, with demonstrators warning the development could damage a protected coastal ecosystem, according to The New Arab.

Protesters gathered outside the Albanian prime minister’s office on Tuesday, holding placards reading “Nation is not for sale” and “I don’t want Albania like Dubai,” while others brought inflatable flamingos in reference to the protected wetland at the centre of the dispute.

The project, led by Kushner’s investment firm Affinity Partners in partnership with Sazan Real Estate Development LLC, is planned for an undeveloped stretch of coastline and an island off Albania’s Adriatic coast near the Vjosa-Narta protected landscape. The area is home to flamingos, seals and sea turtle nesting sites.

Environmental groups have raised concerns that the development could impact hundreds of hectares of protected land, warning that the scale of construction would permanently alter one of the country’s most sensitive ecosystems.

“This would be a new city with around 10,000 rooms, and it will completely destroy that wild region,” said Joni Vorpsi, an ecologist with the PPNEA-BirdLife Albania organisation.

Developers, however, say the project will be carried out responsibly and bring long-term benefits to local communities. “Our focus remains on responsible stewardship, environmental enhancement, job creation, and creating long-term value for local communities,” said Asher Abehsera, chairman of Sazan Real Estate Development LLC, which is developing the plans in partnership with Kushner’s firm. He added that the company respects ongoing public and institutional processes.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama defended the project, saying the country must remain open to investment and avoid being seen as hostile to foreign investors, in a statement shared with Reuters. He added that there is “absolutely no chance” the investment will be halted while his government remains in office.

Tensions over Albania protests escalated after construction preparations reportedly began at the site in Zvernec near Vlora, with barbed-wire fencing erected around parts of the area. Several hundred people later gathered and later clashed with private security guards, with some injuries reported according to eyewitness testimony as per Reuters.

Kushner first announced plans for the resort in 2024 as part of a broader investment portfolio that also included a former army headquarters site in Belgrade- he later withdrew from the Serbian project following public protests.

The latest demonstrations highlight growing opposition in Albania to large-scale coastal development projects, particularly in environmentally protected zones, as concerns over conservation and investment intensify and continue to clash.

The New Arab, maghrebi.org