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Albanians protest Kushner's luxury hotel project on protected coast
🇫🇮 Finland /Culture & Society

Albanians protest Kushner's luxury hotel project on protected coast

From Helsingin Sanomat · () Finnish

Translated from Finnish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Thousands of Albanians protested for a third day against a luxury real estate project by former U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
  • The project plans to build luxury hotels on the protected Sazan island and the Vjosa-Nartë wetland, raising environmental and corruption concerns.
  • Prime Minister Edi Rama supports the project, viewing it as an opportunity for tourism and foreign investment, but protestors fear it will turn Albania into

Thousands of Albanians have taken to the streets of the capital, Tirana, for three consecutive days to protest a luxury real estate project involving Jared Kushner, former U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law. Kushner's investment firm, Affinity Partners, is reportedly linked to plans for luxury hotels on Sazan island and the protected Vjosa-Nartë wetland on the Albanian coast.

The nation is not for sale

— ProtesterSign held by protesters during demonstrations in Tirana.

The Vjosa-Nartë area is ecologically sensitive, home to flamingos, seals, and sea turtle nesting sites. Sazan island is described as one of the last undeveloped islands in the Mediterranean. Albania's anti-corruption agency has launched an investigation into changes in the protected status and land ownership of these areas.

I don't want Albania to become Dubai

— ProtesterSign held by protesters during demonstrations in Tirana.

Protesters gathered outside Prime Minister Edi Rama's office, holding inflatable flamingos and signs reading "the nation is not for sale" and "I don't want Albania to become Dubai." Rama has strongly backed the project, calling it a chance to boost tourism and attract foreign investment. He stated that Albania should not be a country that rejects foreign investment and vowed that "there is no chance that investments will stop as long as I am here."

There is no chance that investments will stop as long as I am here

— Edi RamaAlbanian Prime Minister Edi Rama's statement regarding foreign investment in the country.

The protests began in late May after barbed wire fences were erected in the Vjosa-Nartë area, restricting access for locals and tourists. Heavy machinery reportedly destroyed ancient dunes and Mediterranean pine forests. Locals argue the project violates environmental laws and raises broader questions about democracy in the country. "The protests are, of course, focused on the protected areas, but more broadly, it is about democracy," said Taulant Bino, chairman of the Albanian Ornithological Society, to The New York Times. The anti-corruption agency investigating the project is considered one of the country's most reliable institutions.

The protests are, of course, focused on the protected areas, but more broadly, it is about democracy

— Taulant BinoAlbanian Ornithological Society chairman explaining the wider implications of the protests.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Helsingin Sanomat in Finnish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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