Protests in Albania over Kushner resort

Jared Kushner-linked resort plans in Albania drew larger protests on Thursday, June 4, as demonstrators challenged development in a protected stretch of the country’s southern coast. The dispute centers on Sazan Island and parts of the Vjosa-Narta protected landscape near Zvërnec, where environmental groups, local residents and other critics say the project threatens sensitive habitat and was advanced without enough transparency. Albania’s anti-corruption prosecutors have opened an investigation into land-status and ownership changes tied to the development, adding legal scrutiny to a fight that has spread from the coast to Tirana. Prime Minister Edi Rama has defended the project as a potential investment and said the final proposal and environmental study are not yet complete. ### Where exactly is the dispute centered? Sazan Island and the Vjosa-Narta protected landscape are the two main sites at issue. The project covers the uninhabited Adriatic island of Sazan, a former communist-era military base, and several hundred hectares in the Vjosa-Narta coastal wetland area near Zvërnec in southern Albania, according to Politico and AFP. The wetland is described as habitat for flamingos, seals and sea turtle nesting sites. (politico.eu) Zvërnec became an early focal point for protests after fencing and work activity appeared at the proposed site. Politico reported that citizen and environmental NGO-led protests began in late May after barbed-wire-topped fences were erected, blocking local and tourist access to the beach. The Guardian reported on June 4 that protesters planned to maintain their presence. (politico.eu) ### What is Kushner’s role in the project? Jared Kushner is linked to the development through Affinity Partners, the private equity firm he heads. AFP reported that Kushner and Ivanka Trump announced plans in 2024 for luxury hotels and villas in Albania, and that Albania later granted “strategic investor” status to Atlantic Incubation Partners, believed to be linked to Affinity Partners. (politico.eu) Asher Abehsera, identified in an AFP-reported statement as chairman of Sazan Real Estate Development, said the group was “excited about the opportunity” to create a destination and make one of the region’s largest private investments. AFP reported the Sazan Island portion at an estimated $1.6 billion, while Rama recently referred to a broader four-billion-euro project that included the Vlora area. (rfi.fr) ### Why are protesters and environmental groups objecting? More than 40 groups sent a letter to the Albanian government in January calling for the project to be suspended immediately, AFP reported. Their objections focus on the environmental impact of building in the Vjosa-Narta protected zone and on the procedures used to clear the way for development. (rfi.fr) Videos showing bulldozers on the beach intensified opposition in recent days, AFP said. The Guardian reported that demonstrators called for a government review of approvals connected to the project and demanded more transparency over how the plans were advanced. ### What are prosecutors investigating? SPAK, Albania’s special anti-corruption prosecution office, confirmed this week that it had opened an investigation into changes made in 2024 to protected status and land ownership that enabled tourism development, Politico reported. (rfi.fr) The office did not provide further comment to Politico by publication. Property claims are part of the dispute. AFP said some families claim ownership over land allocated to the project, reflecting wider land disputes in Albania dating back to the post-communist transition of the 1990s. ### What has the Albanian government said? Edi Rama told Albanian lawmakers on Monday that the project does not encroach on a protected wildlife reserve, according to Politico. (politico.eu) He also said the final proposal had not yet been submitted and that the environmental study was not complete. The Albanian authorities did not reply to AFP’s request for comment on Thursday morning, AFP reported. (rfi.fr) That left competing public accounts in place as protests continued and the prosecutor’s inquiry moved ahead. ### What happens next? Thursday’s protests added pressure on both the government and the developers, but the next formal steps are clearer than the politics around them. (politico.eu) SPAK’s investigation is now active, and Rama has said a final proposal and environmental study are still pending. Protesters, according to The Guardian, said they intended to keep up their presence at the site. (rfi.fr)