Albania Approves $1B Foreign Investment Projects Backed by Kushner

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Tuesday that construction of two luxury resort projects linked to Jared Kushner’s investment firm Affinity Partners will continue. Rama described the billion-dollar developments as a major opportunity for foreign investment as Albania seeks European Union membership.

He rejected accusations that the government had sold public land or granted preferential treatment.

The projects include a resort on the former communist military island of Sazan and a tourism complex in the coastal zone of Zvernec. According to government statements, both sites were previously used or privately titled land transferred through transparent procedures. Tirana maintains the approvals followed lawful processes.

Rama offered on Tuesday to meet representatives of the protesters. The offer was declined. Protests began after sightings of fencing and heavy equipment at both sites. On June 6, demonstrators gathered in front of the prime minister’s office in Tirana.

Clashes over the weekend resulted in several demonstrators injured by private security guards. Local authorities suspended police officers involved and revoked the operating licenses of two security firms. Albania’s special prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into the purchase of land titles at Zvernec.

Forty environmental groups called in January for the Sazan plan to be halted. Aleksandr Trajce, head of the Protection and Preservation of the Natural Environment in Albania, said there had been “a total lack of transparency” and no public consultation or permit documentation. He called for bulldozers and fencing to be removed and habitats restored before any further talks.