Protesters in Albania oppose plan for Trump family-linked resort

+ Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu --> Newsletters NPR Shop Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Protesters in Albania oppose plan for Trump family-linked resort Protesters in Albania oppose Jared Kushner's planned Adriatic coast resort, which would be located in one of the Mediterranean's most environmentally sensitive areas. World Protesters in Albania oppose plan for Trump family-linked resort June 5, 20264:43 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition By Megan Williams Protesters in Albania oppose plan for Trump family-linked resort Listen &middot; 2:36 2:36 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5846829/nx-s1-9798515" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript Protesters in Albania oppose Jared Kushner's planned Adriatic coast resort, which would be located in one of the Mediterranean's most environmentally sensitive areas. Sponsor Message STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Albania is heading into a fifth day of protests over a planned luxury resort. President Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner are driving this development. Ivanka told a story on a podcast of noticing the island while on a friend's yacht and feeling captivated by the natural beauty of the spot where they now plan a giant hotel. It would be built near sensitive wetlands by the Adriatic Sea, home to endangered wildlife. Megan Williams reports.

+ (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting in Albanian). MEGAN WILLIAMS, BYLINE: They're calling it the Flamingo Revolution. Plastic replicas of the pink birds bobbed above the crowds in Tirana, Albania, this week as thousands protested a resort deal they say has moved ahead with little transparency. Some held signs reading, Ivanka, keep your hands away from Narta. The estimated $1.6 billion project would cover a former military island and a pristine stretch of coastline near the Vjosa-Narta wetlands, home to endangered birds, Mediterranean monk seals and other wildlife. It's linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, who recently said on a podcast they, quote, "have 5 miles of beachfront." A spokesperson says the site is being developed by Sazan Real Estate Company and that investors connected to Kushner's Affinity Partners are involved in their personal capacity. Developers say they will move ahead responsibly. But Xhemal Xherri with an Albanian NGO that monitors the wetlands says there has been no consultation. He says the area was cordoned off with barbed-wire fencing with no warning and private security brought in. XHEMAL XHERRI: We saw these machines going on the field. Every day, they were putting concrete, gravel, and we immediately started to ask for the construction permit and other documentation. But none of the institutions gave us nothing. WILLIAMS: Prime Minister Edi Rama says Albania, one of Europe's poorest countries, must stay open to investors as it pushes to join the European Union by 2030. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRIME MINISTER EDI RAMA: (Speaking Albanian). WILLIAMS: "There is no chance that this investment will stop as long as I'm here," he said this week. Many Albanians want jobs tourism can bring, but anti-corruption prosecutors are now looking into questionable legal changes the government made to the status of protected areas. And protesters say they'll keep taking to the streets. For NPR News, I'm Megan Williams. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{1169:function(e,n,c){e.exports=c(321)},321:function(e,n,c){"use strict";c.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([c.e(1),c.e(2),c.e(3),c.e(4),c.e(82)]).then(function(e){c(3),c(1141),c(116),c(95),c(52),c(491),c(240),c(102),c(104),c(1142),c(144),c(1143),c(239),c(48),c(1144)}.bind(null,c)).catch(c.oe)}},[[1169,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();