Mohamed Alabbar arrived in Albania amid great publicity. Prime Minister Edi Rama introduced him as the miracle man of Dubai, the builder of the “Burj Khalifa” and the investor who would transform Durrës into a luxury destination.
But developments in the Port of Durres project have fallen far short of expectations. The investment of around $2 billion promised at the start of the project still seems far from being realized, while authorities recently officially admitted that two of the buildings built at the site had sunk.
It now appears that even Alabbar himself admits that mistakes were made in the way the project was developed in Albania.
In an interview, the founder of the company “Emaar” states that “I built very quickly in Albania” and that this, according to him, “was a mistake.”
Alabbar also dwells on another of his projects on the coast of Montenegro, which he also describes as a mistake. According to him, the decision-making was influenced by the advice of an Indian lawyer, which, according to the businessman, turned out to be a wrong choice.
Alabbar’s statements come at a time when the Durres Port project continues to be at the center of accusations, due to the pace of the works, costs, and problems reported during its implementation.