Albania is not for sale
On a small Adriatic island that once sheltered wildlife behind the walls of a forgotten military base, a private yacht trip by American investors has grown into a $1.98 billion development that now divides a nation. Albania's so-called 'flamingo revolution' asks an ancient question in modern dress: who holds the right to transform a living landscape, and at what cost to the creatures — and the people — who cannot negotiate? The answer, still unresolved, is being contested in the streets of Tirana, in the offices of anti-corruption investigators, and in the sand dunes of Sazan itself.
- A 2021 private yacht excursion by Jared and Ivanka Kushner has escalated into a $1.98 billion resort project on ecologically protected Albanian land, approved quietly on the last day of 2024.
- Conservationists report that excavators have already dumped gravel on legally protected ancient sand dunes, causing damage scientists say will take centuries to reverse.
- More than one percent of the world's entire flamingo population nests at the site — a figure that elevates what might seem a local dispute into a matter of global ecological consequence.
- Thousands of Albanians have flooded the streets of Tirana under the banner of the 'flamingo revolution,' while the government's own anti-corruption agency has opened an investigation into how approval was granted.
- A near-identical Kushner-linked development in Serbia ended in criminal charges against government officials and Kushner's withdrawal — a precedent that now looms over the Albanian project.
In May 2021, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner sailed by private yacht to Sazan, a small, undeveloped Adriatic island off Albania's coast. They swam ashore, hiked barefoot to its summit, and fell in love with the place. That afternoon would eventually ignite one of Albania's fiercest environmental battles.
Five years on, their Miami-based firm Affinity has proposed a $1.98 billion development: a coastal resort in the nearby Vjosa-Narta Lagoon and a smaller resort on Sazan itself. The Albanian government granted preliminary approval on December 30, 2024 — a decision many attribute to the close relationship between Kushner and Prime Minister Edi Rama, cultivated during the first Trump administration. Ivanka has called the project a 'tangible manifestation' of her real estate vision; Jared has described it as the kind of resort he would take his own family to.
Sazan, however, is far from empty. Decades of limited access following its use as a communist-era military base allowed the island to become a sanctuary: over 200 migratory bird species, rare Mediterranean monk seals, nesting sea turtles, and more than one percent of the world's entire flamingo population. When heavy machinery arrived in May 2025, thousands of Albanians marched through Tirana in protest, calling their movement the 'flamingo revolution.'
Conservationists have documented what they describe as catastrophic and potentially irreversible harm — gravel dumped on ancient sand dunes designated as Natural Monuments under Albanian law, excavation conducted without proper permits, and ecological damage scientists say will require centuries to repair. The Kushners have responded by emphasising 'responsible stewardship,' with Ivanka insisting the architecture would rise organically from the landscape. Prime Minister Rama, meanwhile, dismissed the protests as the work of 'Trump haters.'
The project's trajectory carries an uncomfortable echo. In late 2024, Serbia passed special legislation to enable another Kushner-linked luxury development — only for criminal charges to follow against government officials accused of falsifying documents to make it possible. Kushner withdrew from that investment. Albania's state anti-corruption agency has now opened its own investigation into how the Sazan approval was secured. As writer Lindita Komani has put it, the protesters' message is simple: Albania is not for sale. Whether that conviction can outlast the machinery already moving across the island is the question that remains.
In May 2021, Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner took a private yacht trip to Sazan, a small undeveloped island in the Adriatic Sea off Albania's coast. They swam to the island, hiked barefoot to its summit, and by her own account, fell in love with it. That afternoon swim would eventually set in motion one of Albania's most contentious environmental battles.
Five years later, the Kushners' vision for the island has crystallized into a $1.98 billion development project. Through their Miami-based firm Affinity, they plan to build two components: a coastal resort in the nearby Vjosa-Narta Lagoon and a smaller resort on Sazan itself. The Albanian government granted preliminary approval on December 30, 2024—a decision that likely benefited from Jared Kushner's established relationship with Prime Minister Edi Rama, forged during his work in the first Trump administration. Ivanka has described the project as a "tangible manifestation" of her real estate experience and her sense of how people increasingly want to live. Jared has framed it as the kind of resort he would want to visit with his own family.
But Sazan is not an empty canvas. The island, site of a former communist-era military base, has become a refuge for wildlife during decades of limited development. More than 200 migratory bird species nest there. Rare Mediterranean monk seals inhabit its waters. Sea turtles come ashore to lay eggs. And flamingos—more than one percent of the global flamingo population—have made the island home. When excavators and heavy machinery began arriving in May 2025, thousands of Albanians took to the streets of the capital, Tirana, in protest. They dubbed their movement the "flamingo revolution."
Conservationists have documented what they say is catastrophic damage. The Preservation and Protection of the Natural Environment in Albania, a conservation group, accused workers of operating without proper permits, excavating sand, and causing what it called "the worst ever recorded in Albania's protected areas." Gravel has been dumped onto ancient sand dunes that are legally designated as Natural Monuments under Albanian law. Scientists say the ecological harm will require centuries to repair. Ornithologist Ledi Selgjekaj confirmed to Reuters that the scale of the flamingo population at stake—more than one percent of the global total—makes the site globally significant.
The Kushners have pushed back on these characterizations. Ivanka told podcast host David Senra that the development was proceeding with "restraint and care," and that the architecture would be "fully integrated" into the landscape, "almost rise from it." The developers have issued statements emphasizing "responsible stewardship and environmental enhancement." Yet the timing raises questions. Around the time the project received approval in late 2024, the Albanian government made it easier for tourism development to proceed on environmentally protected land. Albania's state anti-corruption agency has now opened an investigation into the project, though it has not disclosed details. Prime Minister Rama has dismissed the outcry, telling Politico that "Trump haters" had amplified the protests and suggesting that without the Kushner name attached, few would care about what happens in Albania.
But history offers a cautionary tale. In November 2024, Serbia's parliament passed a special law to enable another luxury complex financed by an investment company linked to Kushner. Within weeks, Serbia's prosecutor for organized crime charged four people, including a government minister, with abuse of office and falsifying documents to facilitate the development. Kushner subsequently withdrew from that Serbian investment. As the Albanian protests continue, writer Lindita Komani has articulated the protesters' core message: Albania is not for sale. Whether that conviction can withstand the machinery already moving across Sazan remains to be seen.
Citas Notables
We swam to the islands, went on a hike barefoot all the way up to the top and we were just captivated and it stayed with us ever since.— Ivanka Trump, describing her 2021 visit to Sazan
If it was not Jared, they would not give a shit about what is happening in Albania.— Prime Minister Edi Rama, dismissing the protests as politically motivated
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did a yacht trip in 2021 matter enough to become a billion-dollar project?
Because the Kushners had the capital, the connections, and the vision to act on it. Rama had already built a relationship with Jared from his time in the Trump administration. When you combine that access with a pristine, undeveloped island and deep pockets, the machinery moves fast.
But why are flamingos the symbol? Why not just say "environmental damage"?
Because one percent of the world's flamingos live there. It's not abstract. It's a specific, countable, irreplaceable population. The bird became the face of something much larger—a whole ecosystem that's been protected by accident, by decades of isolation.
The government changed the rules right before approving this. That seems deliberate.
It does. That's why the anti-corruption agency opened an investigation. Whether they'll find evidence of coordination or just convenient timing—that's the open question. But the optics are terrible.
What happened in Serbia matters here, doesn't it?
Completely. It shows this isn't theoretical. When Kushner tried the same playbook in Serbia, people ended up charged with crimes. A government minister. That precedent is hanging over everything happening in Albania right now.
Can the protesters actually stop this?
They've already slowed it down and drawn international attention. But they're up against a prime minister who's publicly committed to the project and a developer with nearly two billion dollars. The real leverage is whether the corruption investigation finds something, or whether international pressure makes it politically costly for Rama to continue.