Tirana (Albania), 4 June (LaPresse/AP) – Further protests have taken place in Albania against the luxury tourism development project being promoted by a company linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, along the country’s coastline. During last night’s protest in Tirana, police intervened with water cannons and there were clashes with demonstrators. The protests have been ongoing for days. Demonstrators fear that stretches of unspoilt coastline could be snapped up by powerful investors. Public outrage has grown after a video showed an activist being forcibly dragged away by a private security guard whilst demonstrating at the construction site. The project – which involves the construction of hotels, villas, apartments and a marina – is divided into two parts: one in the Narta Lagoon area, a nature reserve on Albania’s southern coast, and the other on the uninhabited island of Sazan, a former military base from the communist era. The development project is planned within a nature reserve and in one of Albania’s most biodiverse areas, as well as a key stopover for migratory birds along the Adriatic coast, a fact that worries environmentalists. This is why protesters carried placards depicting pink flamingos – one of the protected migratory bird species – during demonstrations in Tirana. According to Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government, the investment would represent a strategic opportunity for the development of luxury tourism and for the country’s international standing, as it pushes for EU membership. However, the initiative has met with opposition from environmentalists and the Prime Minister’s critics.
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