The protests may yet prove to have consequences far beyond the country’s borders — largely because one of the central figures behind them is Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
The unrest was triggered by a multi-billion-dollar tourism project spearheaded by Kushner. Thousands have taken to the streets — initially against the specific development in the Zvërnec region, but increasingly against broader concerns: government corruption and a chronic lack of transparency.
Chanting slogans such as “Albania is not for sale,” “Rama, resign,” and “Zvërnec belongs to us,” demonstrators gather daily in cities across the country, as well as in Albanian diaspora communities in Greece, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The movement gained further momentum after footage emerged showing a protester being attacked by a security guard at the construction site. Since then, the so-called “Revolution of the Flamingos” has continued to grow.
The movement takes its name from the flamingos of the Narta Lagoon, one of the most biodiverse wetlands in the Mediterranean. Conservationists warn of irreversible environmental damage. Joni Vorpsi of the organisation PPNEA describes the situation as a “massacre” of nature, stating: “We are against this investment because it is destructive. For over a month, machinery has been operating on site without environmental permits, damaging the natural habitat. What value does a protected area hold if the authorities themselves fail to protect it?” He also notes that signage at the construction site displays neither a building permit nor an environmental impact assessment.
Beyond the $1.6 billion resort planned near Zvërnec, a second major development — estimated at approximately $1.4 billion — is proposed for Sazan Island, though it has received virtually no media attention. Kushner is involved in this project as well.
During the Cold War, Sazan was one of the most heavily fortified military islands in the Mediterranean, garrisoned by more than 3,000 soldiers. The island housed around 3,600 concrete bunkers, over 16 kilometres of underground tunnels, a hardened command centre, modern coastal artillery, anti-aircraft missile systems, radar installations, and a naval base for patrol and torpedo boats. The adjacent Zvërnec peninsula was similarly secured with coastal fortifications and fire control positions.
The island’s strategic significance remains undiminished. Sazan commands access to the deep-water bay of Vlora, Albania’s most important natural harbour for large warships. The Italian coastline at the Strait of Otranto lies just 75 kilometres away — a distance comparable to that of the Strait of Hormuz (39 km) or the Bab al-Mandab Strait (32 km). As the sole maritime passage between the Adriatic and the Mediterranean, the strait is of considerable importance for trade, energy supply, and military naval operations. Several major oil, LNG, and LPG ports fall within its sphere of influence, including Trieste and Venice. There are also plans for a natural gas pipeline running from Israel’s Leviathan gas field, through Greece, to Italy — a route that could pass in close proximity to the project area.
Against this backdrop, some observers suspect that the construction projects serve tourism interests only on the surface, and that a longer-term strategic interest in controlling a critical maritime chokepoint may also be at play. The government in Tirana, for its part, rejects all such allegations and continues to back both developments.
No comments.
By submitting a comment you grant Free West Media a perpetual license to reproduce your words and name/web site in attribution. Inappropriate and irrelevant comments will be removed at an admin’s discretion. Your email is used for verification purposes only, it will never be shared.