Rama blames Trump's enemies for Zvërnec's echo: The man didn't shave...

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has dismissed growing protests against Jared Kushner's planned luxury resort as a politically motivated campaign fueled by opponents of US President Donald Trump, saying the project poses no threat to flamingos and other protected species.

In recent days, Albanians have been protesting against plans by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to develop a luxury resort on the pristine island of Sazan and the Zvërnec coast near Vlora. The movement has been dubbed the “flamingo revolution” by civil society and international media, as the area constitutes an important habitat for these distinctive birds.

But in an interview with POLITICO, Rama defended Kushner's project, saying his policy of attracting foreign investment to develop Albanian tourism is the right one. He dismissed international criticism and claimed that the protests were not as massive as reported.

"If it weren't for Jared, no one would care at all about what's happening in Albania," Rama said on the sidelines of the EU-Western Balkans summit in Tivat, Montenegro.

He claimed that "Trump haters" have helped amplify the protests, a cause he called noble, despite rejecting criticism of the project.

The planned resort, backed by Qatari and local investors and which could include up to 10,000 hotel rooms and villas, is set to be built in a natural ecosystem that was previously legally protected. The area is home to flamingos, more than 200 species of migratory birds, Mediterranean seals and nesting sea turtles. Environmental groups warn that the project will damage the habitats of these species.

Controversial changes to the law on protected areas in 2024 paved the way for tourism developments in some of these areas, further boosting the growth of a sector that has already tripled in the last decade. The resort in question has not undergone an environmental impact assessment.

"Foreigners are the first priority... because foreigners bring money into the country for Albanians," Rama declared, noting that Albania has tripled its Gross Domestic Product since he took office as prime minister in 2013.

Rama said he has not had contact with Kushner since the protests began.

"He has his own business to do and, on the other hand, he and Ivanka have nothing to do with this whole story... a completely false and fabricated story," said the head of the Albanian government, emphasizing that other investors, such as the Qatari company Power Holding, are also involved in the project.

Anti-Semitism has become one of the topics of debate around the protests due to Kushner's Jewish origins and his role in brokering the Abraham Accords, the peace agreement between Israel and several Arab countries, including Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

According to Rama, Iran is engaged in a “hybrid war” of disinformation regarding the project. Albania has previously been the target of Iranian cyberattacks in retaliation for harboring the Iranian opposition.

"They are part of this story because there is no one else who has an interest in feeding the narrative of anti-Semitism, based on unbelievable and disgusting fake news," Rama said, referring to conspiracy theories according to which the project would be used to settle Palestinians from Gaza in the area.

Protesters and civil society organizations say that some anti-Semitic banners or posts on social media do not represent the movement as a whole.

Rama insisted that attention is being paid to the resort's social and environmental impact. He also rejected the labeling of the protests as the "flamingo revolution," arguing that disinformation has distorted the real number of protesters. According to him, none of the European leaders present at the Tivat summit raised the issue.

Albania aims to join the European Union by 2030, and Rama said he does not believe environmental concerns will hinder this objective.

"They will be able to see with their own eyes the flamingos and the development coexisting beautifully with each other," he said.

Asked if he would organize a summit at the future resort, Rama told POLITICO: "This will not be my Mar-a-Lago."/Politico.eu