FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Affinity Partners and Kushner did not respond to requests for comment. Sazan Real Estate Development LLC, which is developing the plans, told Reuters it would do so in a responsible manner.
Albania will proceed with the construction of a luxury resort planned by Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, on an isolated area of the Balkan coast, despite ongoing protests over its environmental impact, Prime Minister Edi Rama told Reuters on Monday (June 8th).
Thousands of people have taken to the streets of the capital Tirana and on the southern coast, where the resort is proposed, demanding the cancellation of the project due to the impact it is expected to have on a protected wetland, which is a habitat for flamingos, seals and sea turtle nesting sites.
The flamingo has become the symbol of this movement: protesters hold pink flamingos and banners with the inscription "Flamingo Revolution".
Rama has “ not been swayed by these objections ,” telling Reuters that the developers will “stun” observers with their plans in the coming months and that some parts of the resort could open to the public before the end of this decade.
“ I’m telling you, it will be a beautiful project and we will do it, and we will be proud to contribute to Europe ,” Rama said during an interview in his office, just a few meters from where nightly demonstrations against the project have taken place.
" I was voted in to make these things happen. I wasn't voted in to be led by people who have a different idea of how the country should be developed ."
Big dreams face controversy
Rama, 61, a former basketball player and artist who took office in 2013 and aims to lead Albania towards membership in the European Union, prides himself on having overseen the modernization of a country that had remained for decades under a particularly oppressive communist dictatorship until the 1990s.
He cultivates a casual style, with a loose black suit, black T-shirt and white sneakers. His office resembles an urban co-working space, with walls covered in his colorful paintings. Plates filled with colored pencils and markers are scattered throughout the space, while his desk is littered with sketches and drawings.
The resort project he supports is the brainchild of Jared Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, who has said she fell in love with Albania several years ago during a boat trip. Rama met them during that trip and said he found them “very kind, modest… good people on a human level.”
Kushner's investment firm, Affinity Partners, is now involved in the 1.4 billion euro ($1.6 billion) project near the Vjosa-Narta protected area, as well as another project on the nearby island of Sazan.
Together, these projects reach a value of up to 5 billion euros, Rama said.
" It's a big dream and big dreams have always faced controversy ," said Rama.
Affinity Partners and Kushner did not respond to requests for comment. Sazan Real Estate Development LLC, which is developing the plans, told Reuters it would do so in a responsible manner.
Rama promises to protect wildlife
The protests began in late May, when the area near Vjosa-Narta was surrounded by barbed wire during work on an access road and other preliminary construction developments. Several protesters were injured in clashes with private security. The anger then spread to Tirana.
The fence has since been removed. Rama admitted that putting it up was a “shameful idea.”
However, Rama downplayed environmental concerns. He said that the environmental impact assessment has not yet been completed and will be carried out in parallel with the development of the projects.
“We are very proud of what we have done for wildlife in Albania. The European Commission has no reason to doubt our unwavering will to protect everything that needs to be protected when it comes to wildlife and nature.” / Taken from Reuters
Shqiperia nuk je ti. Shqiperia NUK E DO rezortin