Albania Pushes Kushner-Linked Resort

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama is determined to proceed with a controversial luxury resort development linked to Jared Kushner's investment firm, Affinity Partners, despite widespread protests over its environmental impact. The project, valued at up to 5 billion euros, includes developments near the Vjosa-Narta protected area and on Sazan Island. Rama has dismissed environmental objections as misinformation, stating that a formal environmental impact assessment has not yet begun, even as land clearing has started. Albania's anti-corruption agency has opened an investigation into the project, and competing claims over land privatization have emerged. Rama views the development as crucial for Albania's modernization and its bid for European Union membership, aiming to transform the country into a high-end tourism destination. He also suggested that some opposition is amplified by an alleged Iranian cyber campaign.