Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has flatly rejected demands from environmentalists and civil society to halt a controversial $1.6 billion (€1.4 billion) eco-luxury mega-resort backed by Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
Speaking directly to Reuters from his office in Tirana on Monday—just meters away from where night-after-night demonstrations have brought the capital to a standstill—Rama declared that the state will proceed with the development regardless of the civil unrest.
The “Flamingo Revolution” Fails to Bend the Executive
The protests, which have locked down downtown Tirana and parts of the southern coastline for nine consecutive days, erupted in late May when heavy machinery and barbed wire fences appeared near the fragile Vjosë-Nartë protected wetland. Demonstrators have adopted the flamingo as their official symbol—marching with large pink cutouts and banners reading “The Flamingo Revolution”—to draw attention to the threats posed to critical habitats of migratory birds, Mediterranean monk seals, and sea turtle nesting grounds.
Rama, 61, remained entirely unswayed by the public backlash, claiming the critics fail to see the bigger picture.
“I am telling you, it will be a beautiful project and we will do it, and we will be proud to contribute to Europe,” Rama told Reuters, adding that elements of the resort could open before 2030. “I was voted to make these things happen. I wasn’t voted to be led by people who have a different idea of how the country should develop.”
While admitting that the initial deployment of barbed wire at the coastal site by private security was a “shameful idea” (the fence has since been dismantled), Rama actively downplayed the environmental threat. Paradoxically, the Prime Minister revealed that the legally required Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has not even been finished yet, stating it will be conducted parallel to the project’s development.
A $5 Billion “Grand Dream” with Affinity Partners
The upscale resort project is spearheaded by Kushner’s Miami-based private equity firm, Affinity Partners. The development is born out of a personal visit by Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, who reportedly fell in love with the untouched Albanian coast during a yachting vacation. Rama, who met the couple during that trip, described them to Reuters as “very polite, modest… good people on a human level.”
[The Trump-Kushner Investment Footprint in Albania]
• Phase 1: Zvërnec / Vjosë-Nartë Eco-Resort ──> Estimated Value: €1.4 Billion ($1.6 Billion)
• Phase 2: Sazan Island Luxury Development ──> Under active planning stages
• Combined Portfolio Value: Estimated up to €5 Billion, according to PM Rama
• Current Status: Preliminary infrastructure active; EIA pending completion
Beyond the Vjosë-Nartë project, Kushner’s firm is eyeing a parallel overhaul of the nearby uninhabited island of Sazan, a former Soviet-era military fortress. Together, Rama estimated the combined worth of these elite tourist ventures at up to €5 billion.
“It’s a grand dream,” Rama stated, leaning back into his artistic, bohemian persona. “And grand dreams have always faced controversies.”
Brussels Watches Quietly Amid EU Accession Drive
As a former basketball player and painter whose office resembles a vibrant urban coworking space covered in sketches and colored markers, Rama prides himself on being the architect of Albania’s rapid modernization from a hermetic communist dictatorship into a European tourism hotspot.
His sights remain firmly set on securing full European Union membership for Albania, and he brushed off concerns that the destruction of a protected eco-zone could derail negotiations with Brussels.
“We are very proud of what we have done for wildlife in Albania,” Rama told reporters, seeking to reassure international observers. “The European Commission has no reason to doubt our unwavering will to protect everything that needs to be protected when it comes to wildlife and nature.”
Affinity Partners did not offer an official comment to Reuters regarding the political fallout, while its local subsidiary, Sazan Real Estate Development LLC, claimed they are committed to executing the project in an environmentally responsible manner. With organizers of the “Flamingo Revolution” warning of a massive escalation in civil disobedience in the coming days, Rama’s unwavering stance sets the stage for a high-stakes standoff between local communities and transnational billionaire capital.
