Albanians Rally Against Kushner’s Luxury Resort Plans

Jared Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, intends to construct a €1.4 billion complex spanning the uninhabited island of Sazan and the coast near the Vjosa-Narta protected area. The proposed site serves as a vital corridor for over 200 bird species and provides a rare sanctuary for the endangered Mediterranean monk seal and loggerhead sea turtle. Critics argue that the project relies on a February 2024 legal amendment that weakened environmental protections, effectively clearing the path for private interests to bypass public oversight.

Local activists report that heavy machinery has already damaged sensitive sand dunes and that barbed-wire fencing has restricted public access to the shore. While Ivanka Trump has publicly praised the project as a vision for the island's potential, protesters view the development as a symbol of institutional corruption. Prime Minister Edi Rama remains steadfast, declaring that the investment will proceed regardless of public opposition. Anouk Puymartin of BirdLife Europe warned that the situation represents a dangerous precedent where global environmental safeguards are dismantled to serve private profit.