Protests erupt in Albania over Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's ambitious $1.4B project

WASHINGTON, DC: A huge development tied to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner is facing increasing resistance from environmentalists and local campaigners in Albania.

They are protesting against plans to develop Sazan Island, an almost undeveloped former military outpost off the Albanian coast, into a luxury tourism destination. The project, reportedly worth some $1.4 billion and backed by the Albanian government, is being pursued by Kushner’s investment firm.

The unrest marks a significant escalation in a story that until recently was largely framed as an ambitious real-estate venture involving members of America's most famous political family.

From luxury vision to street protests

In a recent interview, Ivanka Trump described the development in glowing terms, calling it a project of enormous scale that would involve some of the world's leading architects.

She highlighted the island's size, its untouched nature, and plans to create what she portrayed as a unique destination in the Mediterranean.

"It's massive in scale," she said while discussing the project.

But the on-the-ground reaction in Albania has been much less polished.

Concerns over the impact construction could have on one of the region’s most ecologically sensitive coastal areas have led to protesters accusing authorities of prioritising private development over environmental protection.

There have been clashes with police in protests against the scheme, which has become a wider political flashpoint after starting as a planning dispute.

The unrest occurred in one of the most environmentally sensitive areas along Albania's coastline, where residents have been protesting plans to build a large-scale resort complex. 

The protesters argue that it could cause significant environmental damage and threaten lands and properties owned by Greek minority families who have lived in the region for generations.

Why does the project carry political weight

Kushner is not simply a private investor.

He currently serves as a Special Envoy for Peace in the Trump administration, making the project unusual in that it involves a sitting government official pursuing a major international business venture while holding a prominent public role.

Environmental organizations across Europe have criticized legislative changes introduced by the Albanian government in recent years, arguing that they have made it easier to approve strategic investment projects, including developments in or near protected natural areas.

There is no public evidence that government influence was used to secure approvals, but the overlap between official responsibilities and a multibillion-dollar foreign development project is likely to draw scrutiny.

Albania's government now faces growing pressure

The project has also become a political issue for Albania's leadership.

The protest rally also called for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, accusing his government of paving the way for the project by pushing through parliament an amendment to the law on protected areas in February 2024 that opened Albania's protected zones to five-star resort development.

Critics say the legislative amendment was tailor-made for the Kushner-linked project spanning some 15 hectares, a participant in the protest told SeeNews.

Prime Minister Edi Rama has publicly supported the development and defended it as an economic opportunity for the country. At the same time, his government has sought to distance itself from the protests and criticism surrounding the project.

In an interview with the Washington Post in August 2024, Kushner unveiled plans to develop projects in the Zvernec area and the nearby island of Sazan. In January, Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump's second child, visited Albania to advance the resort project on Sazan.

Prime Minister Edi Rama has frequently linked the projects to a government strategy to attract foreign investors in a bid to upgrade the country's tourism offer towards luxury, seeing the sector as one of the main drivers of the economy.

The project, which local media reports estimate will cost around $4 billion (3.43 million euros), includes approximately 250 hectares within the Narta-Zvernec wetland and lagoon ecosystem, drawing strong opposition from both local and international environmental protection groups.

What started as a luxury tourism proposal is increasingly turning into a debate about government accountability, environmental preservation, and the influence politically connected foreign investors can wield overseas.