Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama is facing mounting protests as he vows to push ahead with a controversial luxury development linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of Donald Trump.
Despite a surge in daily demonstrations and environmental objections, Rama insists the project will transform the nation into a magnet for international investors.
In an interview on Tuesday, Rama dismissed environmental concerns as “misinformation,” asserting that the development would elevate Albania from an overlooked country to one attracting “big capital” and significant investment.
The government champions the project as a crucial step for the former communist nation to enter the high-end tourism market and bolster its bid for European Union membership.
However, thousands of demonstrators have gathered outside Rama’s office in Tirana, protesting the planned complex of hotels, apartments, villas, and a yacht marina.
Critics point to the fact that land clearing has already commenced within a nature reserve, even though the prime minister admits a formal environmental impact assessment has not yet begun.
When questioned about potentially withdrawing from the project, Rama defiantly responded, “Step back from what?”
Further complicating matters, Albania’s anti-corruption agency has launched an investigation into the project, with rival claims emerging over the privatization of the land, which the government maintains is privately owned.
The genesis of the project, according to Rama, was serendipitous.
He recounted a dinner in southern Albania with Kushner, his wife Ivanka Trump, and friends who had stopped in Durres en route to Montenegro.
Months later, Kushner reportedly approached him at a gathering in Davos, Switzerland, expressing interest in Albanian investment.
Rama recalled Kushner telling him, “Your country’s absolutely stunning, and we would like to look for a chance to invest.”
An investment firm associated with Kushner has since been granted special investor status by Albanian authorities.
The ambitious plan encompasses a coastal development in the Narta Lagoon area, a vital wildlife reserve, and a smaller resort on the uninhabited island of Sazan, a former communist-era military base.
Environmental groups are sounding alarms over the destruction of long-preserved habitats, particularly as excavators and heavy machinery have been observed clearing land among pine trees and installing fencing in the nature reserve since late May.
This area is crucial for migratory birds. Rama defended the lack of a formal environmental impact assessment by stating that the development plan is still being finalized, with international architects and environmental specialists shaping the proposal.
“When it comes to the environment, there is no project yet, there is no environmental impact assessment yet, because this is still a planning process,” he said.
He also highlighted Albania’s conservation efforts, citing hunting and logging bans that he claims have aided flamingo population recovery. “We have fantastic documentation of how the wildlife in Albania came back thanks to the 10 years moratorium of hunting,” Rama added.
The prime minister suggested that some of the backlash is fueled by external interference, referencing a long-running Iranian cyber campaign against Albania.
Albania has previously accused Iran of backing hackers targeting its cyber infrastructure, an allegation Tehran denies. “There is a lot of manipulation. There is a lot of half-truths that become bigger and bigger lies by the hour,” Rama stated, though he clarified he was not accusing individual protesters of being foreign agents.
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