Thousands Protest Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s Albania Luxury Resort, Targeting Edi Rama

Thousands of Albanians protested a luxury resort planned for a pristine strip of the Mediterranean coastline, with the project backed by Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, and with protests beginning Sunday after heavy machinery began working on the project.

“Kushner-backed luxury resort plan sparks protests in Albania Protests in the centre of Albania's capital, Tirana, are not exactly unusual”

BBC

The Washington Post described the plan as having two parts: one beachfront development along the Adriatic coast and another resort on the nearby uninhabited Sazan Island, and it quoted Ivanka Trump saying, “It’s an unbelievable, beautiful 1,400-hectare private island in the middle of the Mediterranean,”.

BBC

Protesters said the coastal land targeted for development is among the Mediterranean’s most pristine and most ecologically important, and they used a pink flamingo as their emblem in Tirana to reflect concerns about flamingos and other species in protected wetlands.

In the fifth day of protests, the BBC reported that protesters were targeting Jared Kushner and Prime Minister Edi Rama, and it quoted Joni Vorpsi saying, “We want all construction to halt and heavy machines out of the protected area,”.

As protests continued, the Guardian said opponents rejected an offer from Prime Minister Edi Rama “to discuss solutions,” and it quoted Aleksandr Trajce saying, “From start to finish there has been a total lack of transparency,”.

The Guardian also reported that Rama defended the development as a milestone for Albania’s shift from a Stalinist state to a high-end holiday destination, and it quoted him saying, “There is absolutely no chance that the investment will stop as long as I am here.”

BFM

DW placed the dispute in the Narta Lagoon area and said the fight over construction in a protected area had grown into a wider debate about development, environmental protection and Albania’s future in Europe, with the project linked to Jared Kushner and focused on the Zvernec Peninsula.

DW quoted conservationist Besjana Shehu saying, “What is at stake is the ecological integrity of more than 18,000 hectares of one of Albania's most important natural corridors,”.

The BBC reported that Kushner’s business partner, Asher Abehsera, said the project is focused on “responsible stewardship” and enhancing the environment, as well as creating jobs and value for local communities.

The protests unfolded as Europe watched Pishe Poro–Narta, with DW reporting that the European Commission is “closely following the developments” in the protected area and that it reiterated repeated extensions of Albania’s strategic investments law “continues to raise concerns about possible environmental impacts, particularly in protected areas.”

“Bulldozers, barbed-wire fences and security guards dragging protesters across the sand are not the images Albania hoped would dominate headlines just days after it received positive signals from Brussels over progress in its EU accession talks”

DW

DW said the natural area has been proposed for the Emerald Network and is expected to become part of the Natura 2000 network once Albania joins the European Union, and it described the European Commission’s position that EU standards must be fully taken into account in the project.

In parallel, the Guardian reported that Albania’s special anti-corruption prosecution body, SPAK, announced it had launched an inquiry into controversial legislative changes adopted in 2024 regarding protected areas, while developers said they will progress responsibly.

The Guardian also quoted Asher Abehsera saying, “Our focus remains on responsible stewardship, environmental enhancement, job creation, and creating long-term value for local communities,” and it reported that Rama told the Albanian parliament on 1 June that negotiations were still ongoing with a final proposal yet to be clinched.

France 24 added that prosecutors opened a probe into changes granting the Kushner-linked investment firm special investor status, and it said the prosecutors office told AFP a probe had been opened but “no further details were given.”