Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama joked about U.S. Democrats in connection with the ongoing protests known as the “Flamingo Revolution,” which oppose a luxury resort project backed by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
What began as a protest against the project has evolved into broader demonstrations against the government and has now entered its 124th consecutive day, attracting widespread international media attention.
Rama linked this attention to the “long shadow of Donald Trump” during an interview with the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, which, like Politico, is part of Axel Springer’s Global Reporters Network.
“I have told my Democratic friends in America that if you cannot defeat Trump in America, don’t come to Albania to take revenge. That is not fair,” he said.
Kushner is linked to a multibillion-dollar project to develop a luxury resort on the uninhabited island of Sazan, in southern Albania, as well as on an adjoining coastal area near a protected zone inhabited by flamingos, pelicans and various wetland species.
The plans sparked national and international protests in late May, with demonstrations being held every night outside Rama’s office in Tirana.
The protests have attracted widespread attention, including a resolution in the European Parliament, as well as involvement from the international outdoor clothing brand Patagonia and Kosovo-born singer Dua Lipa.
Rama said the plans involve two projects: one on Sazan Island, a public property and former Soviet military base, where only 8% of the surface area would be developed, and another on a privately owned peninsula.
Protesters oppose the project over environmental concerns and what they describe as a lack of public consultation.
Meanwhile, Albania’s Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK), an institution supported by the EU and the United States, is investigating whether an Albanian businessman falsified ownership documents relating to the privately owned land.
The former owner has denied any allegations of legal wrongdoing. A spokesperson for the investors behind the project, including Kushner, did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
Responding to protest slogans such as “Albania Is Not for Sale” and “Albania for Albanians,” Rama said: “If you brought foreign capital to Germany, would you say Germany was being sold?”
“I represent the interests of my country and I will continue to do so,” he added.
He also said negotiations over the project were still ongoing and that its environmental impact would be assessed.
At a press conference in Tirana on Wednesday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Rama assured that his government would “shed light on the process by guaranteeing full transparency regarding all documents related to this widely debated project.”
As Rama met with the head of the European Commission, several hundred people protested outside his office, holding signs reading: “No EU with Rama.”
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