The daughter of US President Donald Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, who regularly travels the world as a special envoy for the affairs of his father-in-law and his pockets as an investor, have begun
work on an “incredible project on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.”
“You jump off the boat into the sea, swim to the shore, climb onto it and you are simply amazed,” the 44-year-old exclaimed, adding: “Now great architects of our time will help us.”
This piece of land is called Sazan. It lies near the Albanian city of Vlora, where the border between the Adriatic and Ionian seas is divided. Once upon a time, it was a forbidden zone, a submarine base and a bunkered island during the communist system. Later, it became a forgotten, half-open-air military museum. Few people could visit it.
There are old barracks, interconnected fortifications, ammunition dumps, and a Mediterranean wildness that makes the island seem pristine. Ivanka Trump wants to build a luxury resort on the island.
The island has an area of about 5.7 km², but its symbolism is even more significant. Rare vegetation grows in the Karaburun-Sazan marine area; the bays of the area have long been in the service of the naval fleet.
What is seen as a major project by investors, by historians
It is a Cold War archive, and for environmentalists, a remnant of Mediterranean virginity. The Kushner couple’s villa will be built on that site, as well as a luxury complex, a kind of Club Med Trump.
The Albanian government has granted strategic investor status to Atlantic Incubation Partners, a firm managed by Kushner. The investment amounts to around 1.4 billion Euros, but inside sources say it could go up to 4 billion Euros.
Prime Minister Rama promises on this occasion work, splendor and a rapid entry into the league of luxury destinations in the Mediterranean region. It can be said without fear: “Monaco II, built on the ruins of bunkers” according to him.
Ivanka go home – Albanians protest
But in the middle, a problem has arisen. The people, the citizens of the country that aims to become an EU member, are more than skeptical. Thousands of people protested yesterday in front of Rama’s prime ministerial office. “The nation is not for sale.” “I don’t want Albania like Dubai,” “Ivanka go home,” their banners read
.
Protests erupted not only over Sazani, but also over Kushner’s plans to seize land.
from Zvernec to Pish-Poro, near the mouth of the Vjosa River. In those areas lie lagoons, dunes, areas populated by turtles, flamingos, pelicans and birds of various species.
All of these natural treasures are now facing threats from excavators who will build villas for the wealthy.
A banner read: “Vlora belongs to Albania, not the mafia and the oligarchy.”
In late May, the clashes intensified. After barbed wire fenced off the area to access
the beaches, clashes between activists and security forces escalated. Videos
showed demonstrators being beaten and dragged by those forces.
Investigations reveal that behind the Zvernec project are hidden offshore structures,
anonymous economic entities, figures with a dubious past, and many ownership problems.
SPAK has begun investigations into the change in the protection status of the Vjosa-Narta area. Is this why the protection status of these areas was removed in 2024 in order to begin construction on them?
The European Center in Brussels has also put these actions in the spotlight. For the entry into the EU, the special chapter on nature protection takes on crucial importance for Albania. It is noted there that such areas must be preserved intact. “Whoever wants European rules, then must preserve and cultivate natural parks and not treat them as reserve spaces for the construction of 5-star hotels” – react well-known experts.
Even a refugee ready to stick his head in extreme cases?
Kushner’s businesses in the Balkans are undoubtedly politically charged. His firm Affinity Partners manages financial assets in the Middle East. In Serbia, Kushner aimed to take over a
NATO-bombed military compound in Belgrade, but doubts about that project and the ensuing protests led to the project being canceled.
In Albania, it happens again that Trump’s son-in-law is privately benefiting through his father-in-law who sits in the White House.
Kushner and the Albanian government reject any suspicion of political gain. The son-in-law of the American president presents himself as a helper who will only do good things.
For Edi Rama, these projects are a promise: “Albania should no longer be that secret and free corner of Europe, but a first-class address.”
There are many who think differently. For them, this has a symbolism that is perhaps in the opposite direction: A poor country that is giving up some of the most beautiful natural places and public spaces to the richest people in the world.
Perhaps even to build their luxurious refuges on them in case of an emergency. Sazani has, among other things, underground defenses from the Cold War era, safe from attacks that may come from enemy forces.
“Berliner Morgen Post”