Thousands of Albanians filled the streets of Tirana on Wednesday in the largest protest yet against a luxury resort planned by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, turning a coastal development dispute into a wider challenge to Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government.
Protesters Say Albania Is Not For Sale
Protesters held signs reading “Albania is not for sale” and chanted “New Albania” outside Rama’s office, Reuters reported on Wednesday. The crowd stretched about half a mile down one of Tirana’s main boulevards.
The project, expected to cost about 5 billion euros, or roughly $5.77 billion, has drawn anger because of its planned location near the ecologically sensitive Zvernec wetlands, home to flamingoes, seals and sea turtle nesting sites. Critics also say the project lacks transparency and gives foreign investors too much influence over protected Albanian land.
“The project in Zvernec is a project … with no transparency,” protester Leand Lakrori told Reuters. “And this is the apotheosis of what has been happening in Albania for the last 35 years. So today, enough is enough.”
Kushner Resort Faces Environmental Backlash
The resort is the brainchild of Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, who has said she fell in love with Albania during a yacht trip. Reports have said the plan would turn a large former Cold War-era military site and coastal land near Zvernec into an ultra-luxury eco-resort with hotels, private villas and a yacht marina, with Aman Resorts expected to manage the project.
Protests began near the development site last month after developers put up fencing around some of the land. The fence has since been removed.
Rama Faces Wider Political Pressure
Rama, who has governed Albania since 2013, told Reuters this week that the project would go ahead and would be completed responsibly. He also pointed to anti-corruption efforts through SPAK, Albania’s special prosecution office.
The European Commission has warned Albania that the project could threaten its EU accession path if Tirana weakens environmental protections.
Kushner’s firm, Affinity Partners, also abandoned a separate Trump hotel project at Serbia’s former Generalstab headquarters in December 2025 after protests and a corruption probe.
Photo Courtesy: Alexandros Michailidis on Shutterstock.com
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