EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis). As large demonstrations unfold across Albania today, public scrutiny continues to grow around the controversial luxury resort developments proposed for Sazan Island and the protected Vjosa-Narta coastline by companies linked to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.
The origins of the project have been described in notably different ways. Ivanka Trump recently portrayed Sazan Island as a chance discovery during a family boating trip, recalling how she and Kushner swam ashore and fell in love with the island’s natural beauty. Jared Kushner, meanwhile, has said that discussions leading to the project began during a Mediterranean voyage aboard financier Nat Rothschild’s yacht, where he met Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and first explored investment opportunities along Albania’s coast.
For critics, the dispute extends beyond tourism development. The project has become a focal point for broader concerns about transparency, environmental protection, and the influence of political and financial elites in shaping Albania’s future.
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