Rama Downplays 2,000-Strong Protests Over $1.4 Billion Trump-Kushner Albania Resort
Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · Jun 6
Rama Downplays 2,000-Strong Protests Over $1.4 Billion Trump-Kushner Albania Resort
3 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · Jun 6
Summary
Edi Rama said Saturday’s protest drew about 2,000 people and claimed turnout had never topped 8,000, accusing foreign media of turning a local dispute into an international spectacle.
The demonstrations target a $1.4 billion Ivanka Trump-Jared Kushner resort on Sazan Island and nearby Zvërnec coast, where critics warn development could damage protected habitats and wildlife.
Rama said no building permit has been issued and construction has not begun, calling the project only a vision, but conservationists said they saw excavators, gravel trucks and a barbed-wire concrete fence at the site.
Opposition leaders and environmental groups say permits and consultations have not been made public, and some accuse Rama of using the project to court political influence with Donald Trump.
Affinity Partners secured the deal in 2024 and later won strategic investor status, fast-tracking approvals for a project Rama has said will not be stopped while he remains in office.