Citizens of Albania took to the streets of Tirana for the third day in a row on Wednesday to protest over a proposed luxury resort backed by U.S President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Opponents have rejected an offer from Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama “to discuss solutions”.
Protests are also being planned for the south of the nation, where groundwork on the complex began in what is considered to be the Mediterranean’s most environmentally sensitive area. Some protesters waved inflatable flamingos to highlight the feared environmental repercussions caused by the potential resort.
Aleksandr Trajce, Executive Director of the Albanian conservative group the Protection and Preservation of the Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA), said, “From start to finish there has been a total lack of transparency. We have seen no public consultation or public documentation regarding permits, and so now what we are saying is, if they remove the bulldozers, remove the fence and restore the habitats to what they were, then we can start talking.”
Prime Minister Rama, however, defended the resort, calling it a milestone in the country’s journey of shifting from a Stalinist state to a high-end holiday destination. While he proposed to meet protesters on Tuesday, he insisted that “there is absolutely no chance that the investment will stop as long as I am here”.
Ivanka Trump had made a surprise visit to the country earlier this year with a team of architects, touring the site earmarked for developing the resort.
The site covers an area that includes the uninhabited island of Sazan as well as the wetlands and coastal habitats in the marine national park that surrounds it. The waters are one of the last remaining habitats for the Mediterranean monk seal. BirdLife International also reported that the area shelters more than 200 bird species, many of them endangered, including flamingos and Dalmatian pelicans.
Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, also earmarked the protected coastal landscape at the north of the village of Zvernec, between the lagoon of Narta and the sea, for development.
