Albania Approves €4bn Adriatic Tourism Project Led by Kushner

Protesters gathered in front of the Albanian prime minister's office in Tirana for the fourth consecutive night on Thursday, directing their demonstrations against a proposed tourism project on Sazan island and a site at Zvernec near Vlora on Albania's Adriatic coast.

The project would involve Affinity Partners, the investment firm founded by Jared Kushner, as one of the investors. Negotiations between Affinity Partners and the Albanian government date back to 2024.

Some participants carried placards declaring that Albania is not for sale and calling for the imprisonment of opposition Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha, who faces separate corruption charges. The protesters adopted a pink flamingo as their emblem. They say the development poses a threat to flamingos, a protected species, and other wildlife in the protected wetlands area.

Joni Vorpsi, an ecologist with the PPNEA-BirdLife Albania organisation, said all construction must halt and heavy machines must be removed from the protected area. He added that the proposed development would be a new city with around 10,000 rooms and would completely destroy that wild region. Police used water cannons at one protest site in the capital.

The government insists the land is privately owned and was acquired in a transparent manner. Prime Minister Edi Rama described the protesters as well-meaning but misinformed about the potential environmental impact. He insisted the project would bring massive benefits to Albania with a €4bn investment promising jobs and improved infrastructure.

Rama also classified the protests as part of a hybrid war prompted by regional envy of Albania's rapidly-growing tourism sector, claiming Albania is under attack from very strong competition in the Mediterranean, a reference to Greece. Rama published what appears to be a public rebuke to former Greek Prime Minister Aleksis Tsipras.

Asher Abehsera, Kushner's business partner, said the project is focused on responsible stewardship and enhancing the environment, as well as creating jobs and value for local communities.

He insisted that everything is above board, including measures to preserve the environment, and that the focus remains on responsible stewardship, environmental enhancement, job creation, and creating long-term value for local communities. Kushner's plan to build a Trump International Hotel in Belgrade faced fierce local opposition, and a government minister was arrested for abuse of office in connection with that project.

Kushner withdrew from the Belgrade project earlier this year.