TIRANA, Albania — Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama took a playful shot at U.S. Democrats over ongoing “Flamingo Revolution” protests against a planned luxury resort backed by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. What started as protests against the project has evolved into broader anti-government protests and is now entering its 124th consecutive day, drawing widespread international media attention.
Rama attributed this attention to the “long shadow of Donald Trump,” in an interview with WELT, which, like POLITICO, is part of Axel Springer’s Global Reporters Network. He added: “I told my Democratic friends in America: If you cannot beat Trump in America, do not come to Albania to take revenge. That is not fair.” Kushner is linked to a multi-billion-dollar project to develop a luxury resort on the uninhabited southern Albanian island of Sazan and an adjacent strip of shoreline next to a protected area inhabited by flamingos, pelicans and diverse wetland wildlife.
The plans sparked national and international protests at the end of May, with rallies ongoing every night outside Rama’s office in Tirana. The protests drew widespread attention, with a resolution in the European Parliament, and international clothing brand Patagonia, and Kosovo-Albanian pop singer Dua Lipa getting involved. Rama said the plans involve two projects: One on the publicly owned Sazan Island, a former Soviet military base, with only 8% to be developed, and another on a privately owned peninsula.
Protestors object to the project over environmental concerns and a lack of public consultation. Meanwhile, the country’s EU- and U.S.-backed Special Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime and Corruption, SPAK, is investigating whether an Albanian businessman faked ownership documents related to the private land. The former owner has denied any wrongdoing.
A spokesperson for the project’s investors, including Kushner, did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication. Objecting to protest slogans such as “Albania is not for sale” and “Albania for Albanians”, Rama said, “If you were bringing foreign capital into Germany, would you then say that Germany was being sold off?” “I represent the interests of my country, and I will continue to do so,” he added. He also said negotiations over the project were still ongoing and that they would assess its environmental impact.
At a press conference in Tirana Wednesday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Rama assured that his government will “shine a spotlight on the process by ensuring full transparency regarding all documents related to this widely discussed project.” While Rama met the EU Commission chief, several hundred people protested outside his office with placards reading “No EU with Rama.” The Axel Springer Global Reporters Network harnesses the resources of the company’s newsrooms to publish ambitious scoops, investigations, interviews, opinion pieces and analysis. It allows journalists — including those from POLITICO, Business Insider, WELT, BILD, Onet and Fakt — to collaborate on major stories for an international audience of hundreds of millions across platforms: online, print, TV and audio.
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