TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A large-scale beachfront development project connected to Jared Kushner, who is married to U.S. President Donald Trump’s daughter, is encountering mounting opposition from demonstrators in Albania.
Officials say the coastal development would dramatically transform the former communist country as it works to break into luxury tourism markets and pursues membership in the European Union.
However, the project — which covers an uninhabited island and adjacent waterfront property along Albania’s southern shoreline — has sparked backlash from environmental activists and opponents of longtime Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama.
The high-end development consists of two parts: a beachfront project in the Narta Lagoon region, which serves as a protected wildlife area, and a smaller vacation complex on the nearby deserted island of Sazan, formerly a military installation during communist times.
The proposed construction of hotels, residential units, luxury homes and a boat harbor is connected to Kushner and Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump.
During a recent interview with U.S. podcaster David Senra, Ivanka Trump explained they stumbled upon the location unexpectedly.
“We were on a friend’s boat, and we stopped for a swim. Effectively, that’s how we found it,” she said. “We swam to the island. We went on a hike, barefoot all the way up to the top, and we were just captivated.”
An investment company connected to Kushner has received special investor designation from Albanian officials.
Albania possesses 450 kilometers (280 miles) of shoreline that stayed mostly untouched throughout decades of strict communist governance.
Demonstration groups worry that portions of this unspoiled coastline might be acquired by influential investors. Public outrage intensified after footage emerged showing an activist being pulled by private security personnel during a demonstration at the location.
The construction is scheduled within a protected natural area and one of Albania’s most important ecological regions, serving as a crucial rest stop for migrating birds traveling the Adriatic shoreline.
Demonstrators have displayed cardboard replicas of pink flamingos, representing one of the protected migrating bird types, during gatherings in the capital Tirana.
Beginning in late May, bulldozers and additional heavy equipment have moved into the region, creating entry paths, excavating sand, removing vegetation among pine forests and putting up barriers.
Environmental organizations from Albania and other European nations have denounced the activity, with one notable local organization alleging that historically protected ecosystems are being “irreversibly destroyed.”
Albania’s national anti-corruption office has verified it launched an inquiry regarding the project but has not revealed specifics.
Officials state the property designated for the project is under private ownership. However, conflicting claims have surfaced challenging the privatization process — a typical form of legal disagreement.
Rama has endorsed the project, stating it would support Albania’s goal to become a leading international tourism location.
“Albania should not be a country that fears an extraordinary project like this one, where exceptional partners have come together to invest 4 billion euros ($4.6 billion),” Rama said.
He added: “There is no chance for this investment to stop as long as I am here.”
Nevertheless, the collapse of a comparable project in Serbia provides a warning example. In November, Serbia’s Parliament approved special legislation to allow construction of a luxury development in the capital, Belgrade, to be funded by an investment firm connected to Kushner.
The next month, Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime filed charges against four individuals, including a government minister, for misuse of authority and document falsification to help facilitate the development.
Kushner subsequently pulled out of the planned multi-million investment that would have replaced an extensive bombed military facility, a recognized heritage site whose legal protections were removed by the former officials now facing trial.
