In late May, protests intensified in Albania against the construction of a luxury resort worth €1.4 billion ($1.6 billion) by investment firm Affinity Partners. According to Reuters, the company is owned by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
The resort is planned for Albania's Adriatic coast, near the protected Vjosa-Narta nature area in the south. This area consists of wetlands inhabited by flamingos, seals, and sea turtles. Environmentalists warn that the project will severely damage hundreds of hectares of pristine coastline and thousands of flamingos that nest and migrate there annually.
The protests began after construction equipment was brought to the resort site. Demonstrators gathered in front of the government building in Tirana holding pink inflatable flamingo figures and placards demanding the project be stopped. Participants also called for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, chanting “Albania is not for sale!”
“Albania belongs to the Albanian people, and we decide what happens here. No corrupt politician running Albania can arbitrarily decide what to do with our property, Albanian heritage, natural and cultural heritage,” said one protester.
According to Albanian Daily News and Balkan Web, the ninth protest took place in Tirana on June 7. Organizers are calling for large-scale nationwide demonstrations on June 10.
Albanian authorities support the project. Prime Minister Rama noted that the environmental assessment of the resort has not yet been completed. “The task is not to pour concrete over the heads of flamingos. The task is to prove that development and nature can not only coexist but need each other,” he said.
Critics, however, accuse the prime minister of trying to win favor with the White House through this project. It was approved just days before Donald Trump took office as US president last year.
Last week, Albania's Special Anti-Corruption Prosecution Office (SPAK) launched an investigation into the resort project. Specifically, prosecutors are examining changes made in 2024 to the protected status of the Vjosa-Narta zone that paved the way for tourism development.
Jared Kushner announced plans to invest in the Albanian resort in 2024, and in early 2026 visited the area with his wife Ivanka Trump. Affinity Partners had also planned a major project in Serbia but abandoned it after protests by local residents.
Source: www.gazeta.uz