In the heart of Tirana, a new wave of unrest has surfaced. For a week Monday‑night rallies have flanked Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office, ending in chants that call for the imprisonment of opposition leader Sali Berisha and the thwarting of the government. The core grievance? A luxury resort proposal on Albania’s Adriatic coast, backed by Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners and Favoured by Rama.
The developers plan to build a 10 000‑room resort in two key locations: Sazan Island and the Zvernec wetlands near Vlora. Protesters argue that the valley’s protected wetlands shelter rarer species – most notably flamingos, a species that has been used to brand the anti‑development movement with pink‑flamingo cutouts reminiscent of a long‑running protest icon in Belgrade.
“We want all construction to halt and heavy machines out of the protected area,” said Joni Vorpsi, an ecologist with PPNEA‑BirdLife Albania. He warned that the resort would “completely destroy that wild region” and annihilate the birds’ breeding grounds.
On the other side of the debate, Affinity Partners’ spokesperson, Asher Abehsera, asserted a commitment to “responsible stewardship” and environmental preservation. “Our focus remains on environmental enhancement, job creation, and long‑term value for local communities,” Abehsera told reporters before a press conference in Tirana.
The government insists the land is privately owned and was acquired transparently, citing purchase negotiations that began in 2024. However, critics point to Albania’s fragile post‑communist privatization history, where ownership disputes are common and the process may not have been as straightforward.
Prime Minister Rama, frustrated by the daily protests, called the demonstrators “well‑meaning but misinformed.” He highlighted the €4 bn (€3.5 bn) investment, arguing it would create jobs and förbättra an improved infrastructure network. In a more theatrical move, he denounced the protests as a “hybrid war” fueled by regional mercantilism, specifically naming Greece as a rival that might be “under attack from very strong competition in our part of the Mediterranean.” The idea has evidently landed on familiar ground for Kushner, whose earlier Trump International Hotel venture in Belgrade was met with fierce local opposition before being abandoned.
If the protesters remain unconvinced, the pink flamingo may continue to glitter along Tirana’s boulevards, underscoring the clash of short‑term profit ambitions and the global push for ecological stewardship.
