FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
New protests are being organized tonight in Tirana and Vlora to demand the cancellation of the tourist project with billion-dollar villas...
In recent days, a climate of tension has prevailed in Albania due to protests against the tourism project of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law. The plans for the tourism development affect a protected area of Albania and were made public in April 2024. More than two years later, the project continues to be associated with many questions.
An international media article analyzes the situation, emphasizing the uncertainties.
Project start
Jared Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, announced in the spring of 2024 their intention to build luxury hotels in Albania. According to available information and several posts on Instagram, the project includes a hotel and villa complex on the Vjosa-Narta coast, about 150 kilometers southwest of Tirana, as well as a luxury tourist resort on the uninhabited island of Sazan, which previously served as a military base.
In late 2024, in an effort to speed up procedures, the Albanian government granted Atlantic Incubation Partners LLC, affiliated with Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners investment fund, strategic investor status. This status allows the company to benefit from accelerated administrative procedures and support from several ministries, according to documents obtained by the French News Agency (AFP).
In January 2026, Ivanka Trump visited the area along with a group of architects and investors and had dinner with Prime Minister Edi Rama.
Who invests and how much money is at stake?
The investment in Sazan Island is estimated at 1.4 billion euros. Recently, Edi Rama has spoken about a project with a total value of 4 billion euros.
However, the identity of the investors and the role of the Albanian state in the project's financial schemes remain unclear.
Affinity Partners led AFP to the communications company P2 Public Affairs.
The company sent a written statement expressing its “enthusiasm for creating a world-class destination and realizing one of the most significant private investments in the region.” According to the statement, the idea belongs to Asher Abehsera, president of Sazan Real Estate Development LLC, a company that is presented as the administrator of the project “together with a group of investors.”
However, AFP was unable to find any legal evidence to prove the existence of this company. Albanian authorities, when asked about this issue, had not responded by the time of publication of the news.
Concerns about environmental damage, property rights and the source of funds
Criticism and denunciations of the project are increasing. They come mainly from environmental organizations. According to them, the project presents numerous problems, ranging from ecological impact to suspicions of corruption.
The Vjosa-Narta coastal area is located in the Vjosa River delta and is a protected area, known for its rich biodiversity, with many species of flora and fauna.
Non-governmental organizations have been denouncing the potential consequences of the project for months. In January, more than 40 NGOs sent a letter to the Albanian government demanding its immediate suspension.
In addition to environmental concerns, doubts have also been raised about the origin of the funds used to purchase the land and the legality of the procedures followed.
Like many other areas in Albania, this area is also the subject of long-standing property disputes. In 1945, with the rise to power of Enver Hoxha, private property was abolished. In the 1990s, after the fall of the communist regime, amid economic crisis and armed unrest, much land was seized without legal basis, and the issue of ownership remains extremely sensitive today.
Thousands of families continue to hope to reclaim their ancestral properties, with some claiming to own portions of the land that has been made available to the Kushners' project.
Investigations and protests
Opposition to the project has strengthened in recent days after the publication on Instagram and other social networks of videos showing preliminary works on the coast and excavators operating on the beach.
On Saturday, a first protest was organized in Zvërnec, against the installation of barbed wire that blocks access to the beach. According to reports, private security guards attacked the protesters and several people were injured.
Following these incidents, new protests took place in Tirana, where thousands of citizens gathered for three consecutive nights demanding the cancellation of the tourist project and the recognition of property titles for the old owners.
Due to strong public reactions, the Special Prosecution Office Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) has launched investigations regarding the change in the status of the Vjosa-Narte protected area, the changes in the legal framework that enabled the signing of contracts without a public tender, as well as the origin of the funds used to purchase property titles for the lands included in the project.
SPAK confirmed to AFP, according to the Athens News Agency, that investigations are ongoing, but declined to provide details on their content. /Adapted from Pamphlet /
Se pari Kushner nuk ka para per të investuar. Ai perdor fondet e vendeve arabe dhe sherben si sekser, per perfitime personale. Shqiperia 450 km vije lineare detare zoteron, perse duhet tu dhurohen pronat e shqiptareve arabeve? Perse duhet ti zoterohen Kushnerit? Qenka dhendri i presidentit e kujt i plasi! Amerika ka qindra mijra km vije lineare vije ujore? Te shkojne dhe ti bëjnë atje investimet, jo në Shqipëri, apo atje nuk i le njeri arabet, ndersa ne Shqipëri nuk e rruan njeri, dhe mbas 20 viteve do të kemi egjyptiane, nigeriane, bangladeshas, filipinas që do të votojne në Shqipëri, ndersa shqiptaret do të gjesdisin si hebrenjte perpara krijimit të shtetit të tyre.
Cfare fshihet? Jeta është kap cfare të kapesh, që te langot e Aemeriqise, Rusise, Israelit, Arabeve, etj, bashke me langot tane. Shtetet po rrezohen e po krijohen super langot e pasur. Pra kur bien malet ngrihen halet kane thene të paret tane.