Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Monday that his government will proceed with a luxury resort project backed by Jared Kushner.
The decision heightens tensions between the state's desire for foreign investment and the preservation of critical ecosystems. The project is situated on a remote stretch of the Balkan coast within the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape.
Government officials said the development will create jobs and attract significant investment to the region. The administration maintains that the economic benefits outweigh the opposition's concerns regarding the site's selection.
However, the project has sparked widespread protests. Critics argue that the construction will damage the environment and threaten local wildlife. Specifically, the protected area hosts hundreds of bird species [1] that could be endangered by the resort.
Environmentalists have also warned that the development poses a threat to turtle species in the Vjosa-Narta region. The clash highlights a growing struggle in Albania over the use of protected landscapes for high-end tourism.
Rama said the government remains committed to the project despite the pushback. The resort is linked to Kushner, the son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump, adding a layer of international political scrutiny to the coastal development.
“Albania will proceed with a luxury resort project backed by Jared Kushner despite protests.”
This decision signals the Albanian government's priority of rapid economic growth and high-profile foreign investment over strict environmental conservation. By overriding protests in the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape, the administration is betting that the prestige and capital brought by US-linked developers will provide more long-term value than the ecological protections currently in place.
