Thousands of Albanians protested a planned €1.4 billion luxury resort development linked to Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners. Environmentalists warn of significant impact on beaches and a protected wetland, while Prime Minister Edi Rama defends the project.
The development highlights the tension between foreign investment and environmental protection, potentially impacting a sensitive ecosystem and local livelihoods.
Thousands of Albanians protested on Tuesday night against a planned €1.4 billion ($1.6 billion) luxury resort development on a sensitive part of the Adriatic coast. The project is led by Jared Kushner's investment firm Affinity Partners, with plans for an island and an undeveloped coastline near the Vjosa-Narta protected landscape, a wetland habitat for flamingos, seals, and sea turtle nesting sites. Environmentalists are concerned that the development will affect hundreds of hectares of pristine beaches and the wild region, potentially destroying the habitat. Protesters gathered outside the Prime Minister's office, calling for a halt to construction. Prime Minister Edi Rama defended the project, emphasizing the need to be welcoming to investors and stating that the investment will not stop as long as he is in office. Protests began after developers erected barbed wire fences at the proposed site, leading to minor clashes with private guards over the weekend. Kushner had previously abandoned a similar project in Serbia after protests.