A luxury resort project involving Jared Kushner is facing opposition from Albanian villagers who said the development is being built on their land [1].

The dispute highlights the tension between high-capital international investment and local property rights in southern Albania. As the project moves forward, it has become a flashpoint for concerns over land grabs and the influence of foreign investors in the region.

About 12 villagers claim ownership of the seafront property where the resort is planned [1]. These residents, including Kostaq Konomi, said they approached the site in May 2026 to find the development progressing despite their claims to the land [1], [2].

Kushner, the son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump, is among the international investors planning the luxury destination [1], [3]. The project is situated on the southern Albanian seafront, an area of high value for tourism and development [2].

The conflict has extended beyond the local village. Thousands of Albanians gathered in Tirana to protest the project [4]. Those protesting said Albania is not for sale, signaling a broader national frustration with how land disputes are handled when international figures are involved [4].

Local residents said the development ignores their legal rights to the property [3]. They have sought to stop the construction to protect their ancestral, or legal, holdings from being absorbed into the resort complex [1], [3].

The investors have not issued a public response to the specific claims made by the villagers in the southern region [1].

“About a dozen villagers claim ownership of the seafront property”

This dispute underscores the legal volatility of land ownership in Albania, where post-communist property restitution often clashes with modern commercial development. The involvement of a high-profile U.S. figure like Jared Kushner amplifies the political stakes, transforming a local property disagreement into a symbol of national sovereignty and the perceived vulnerability of small landowners against global capital.