Some held posters with the inscription “Edi Rama, resign”, while others depicted the Albanian Socialist Prime Minister handing over the keys to US President’s daughter Ivanka Trump.
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Protesters claim that the approximately $1.2 billion (€1.02 billion) project, led by J. Kushner and his wife Ivanka, will harm the environment as luxury hotels are planned to be built in the protected Vjosa-Narta area on the southern coast.
According to the plan presented two years ago, developers also hope to transform Sazan Island, which previously housed a communist secret military base, into a luxury tourist destination.
Protests have intensified in recent days after security guards attacked a man near the protected area, and footage was released showing preparatory construction work and bulldozers on the beach.
Protesters demand the repeal of the Strategic Investors Law, designed to accelerate certain projects, as well as the revocation of amendments to the Protected Areas Law, which allow the construction of hotel complexes in nature conservation zones.
In Albania, 22% of the territory is declared protected areas.
31-year-old human rights activist Luciana Kokaj explained that she owns property in northern Albania, which a “large investor” tried to seize using forged property documents.
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“However, this goes beyond my personal interests: it’s about protecting Albania for our children,” she told AFP news agency during the protest.
Another demonstrator, Etleva Merko, stated that protesters “are not against Albania’s development” – a response to accusations made by Prime Minister E. Rama in recent days.
“We are for development, for transparency, but we are against construction in protected areas,” she asserted.
The Special Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Corruption and Organized Crime announced on Tuesday that it has launched an investigation into this project, but did not disclose details.
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