Protests grow over resort in Albania linked to Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner

By — Zana Cimili, Associated Press Zana Cimili, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/protests-grow-over-resort-in-albania-linked-to-trump-son-in-law-jared-kushner Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Protests grow over resort in Albania linked to Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner World Jun 3, 2026 4:04 PM EDT TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A massive coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, is facing growing resistance from protesters in Albania. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. The government says the development on the Adriatic coast would be transformational for the former communist nation as it seeks to enter the high-end tourism market and pushes for European Union membership. But the venture, spanning an abandoned island and a nearby stretch of seafront on Albania's southern coast, has drawn opposition from environmental campaigners and critics of long-time Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama. Kushner and Ivanka Trump found the site on a barefoot hike The luxury project has two components: a coastal development in the Narta Lagoon area, which is a wildlife reserve, and a smaller resort on the nearby uninhabited island of Sazan, a communist-era military base. The planned development of hotels, apartments, villas and a marina is linked to Kushner and Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump. READ MORE: Serbians protest real estate project linked to Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner In an interview this week with U.S. podcaster David Senra, Ivanka Trump said they discovered the site by accident. "We were on a friend's boat, and we stopped for a swim. Effectively, that's how we found it," she said. "We swam to the island. We went on a hike, barefoot all the way up to the top, and we were just captivated." An investment firm linked to Kushner has been granted special investor status by Albanian authorities. Harsh rule, pristine beaches Albania has 450 kilometers (280 miles) of coast that remained largely underdeveloped during decades of harsh communist rule. Protest groups fear the sections of that pristine coastline could be snapped up by powerful investors. And public anger grew after video showed an activist being dragged by a private security guard while demonstrating at the site. The development is planned within a nature reserve and one of Albania's most valuable biodiversity areas, a key stopover for migratory birds along the Adriatic coast. WATCH: Tracking the Trump family's business deals and profits in his 2nd term Protesters have carried cardboard cut-outs of pink flamingos, one of the protected migratory bird species, at rallies in the capital Tirana. Since late May, excavators and other heavy machinery have entered the area, opening access routes, digging into the sand, clearing land among pine trees and installing fencing.