Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s Island Resort May Bring Down Albania’s Prime Minister

Reports in the Albanian press shows that the development company, Zvërnec South Adriatic Development, is managed through a group of Dutch registered organizations, while the final owners have not been revealed. The involvement of the Kastrati Group, the largest civilian group in Albania, has also been reported, although its role remains unclear.

Zvërnec Adriatic South Development, Kastrati Group, and SPAK did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.

The government defends the development process as necessary to make Albania a top tourist destination in the Mediterranean. Prime Minister Edi Rama introduced such investments as part of a long-term economic development plan, arguing that they would increase national income and international exposure. Rama initially wanted to negotiate with the opposition, but as resistance grew, he abandoned the process and changed to not accepting the group.

“The problem is not the flamingo,” he said of the opposition. “The problem is that these birds refuse to listen to the facts, discuss solutions, and coordinate efforts with organizations and major sources of expertise to protect everything that needs protection and allow the right project to move forward.

At first, the protestors were described in various ways, from accusing them of protesting against foreign countries to being called agents of foreign countries. Later, the criticism reached international broadcasting, and soon the protests were led by influencers and algorithms rather than by real citizens.

The protests have sparked hope and anger at the same time, and made people love each other several Albanian cities. Encouraged by the demolition of the fence in Zvërnec, citizens have torn down barriers that, in their opinion, represent abuse of power and the theft of public land. The same has happened in Rrjoll and Librazhd, and very recently Kakome Bay on the Albanian Riviera. For almost 20 years, people were not allowed to enter the beach due to long-standing property disputes, which prevented people from freely accessing one of the most beautiful coastal areas.

Rama, in interview and the Albanian press, denied that Ivanka Trump’s statement about Sazan was accurate or reflected the financial situation. Rama defended the statement, dismissing concerns as a misunderstanding, and said that the Albanian islands cannot be given in secret or taken in secret. The critics are not convinced; earlier this week there was a call to promote the whole country about the demonstrations that will take place this Saturday. Now they want a technical government and early elections.