Rama’s message to American Democrats: Do not use Albania for your fight against Trump

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama launched a harsh attack on American Democrats over the ongoing “Flamingo Revolution” protests against a planned luxury resort backed by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.

What began as protests against the project has evolved into broader anti-government protests and is now entering its 124th consecutive day, attracting wide international media attention.

Rama attributed this attention to the “long shadow of Donald Trump,” in an interview with WELT, which, like POLITICO, is part of Axel Springer’s Global Journalists Network.

He added: “I told my Democratic friends in America: If you cannot beat Trump in America, do not come to Albania to take revenge. This is not fair.”

Kushner is linked to a multi-billion-dollar project to develop a luxury resort on the uninhabited island of Sazan in southern Albania and an adjacent coastal strip near a protected area inhabited by flamingos, pelicans and diverse wetland wildlife. The plans sparked national and international protests at the end of May, with rallies continuing every night outside Rama’s office in Tirana.

The protests attracted wide attention, with a resolution in the European Parliament, and the involvement of the international clothing brand Patagonia, as well as pop singer of Kosovo origin Dua Lipa.

Rama said the plans include two projects: one on the publicly owned island of Sazan, a former Soviet military base, with only 8% to be developed, and another on a privately owned peninsula.

Protesters oppose the project over environmental concerns and a lack of public consultation. Meanwhile, the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Organised Crime and Corruption, SPAK, backed by the EU and the U.S., is investigating whether an Albanian businessman falsified ownership documents in connection with the private land.

The former owner has denied any wrongdoing. A spokesman for the project’s investors, including Kushner, did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

Rejecting protest slogans such as “Albania is not for sale” and “Albania for Albanians,” Rama said: “If you brought foreign capital to Germany, would you then say that Germany was being sold?”

“I represent the interests of my country and I will continue to do so,” he added.

He also said negotiations on the project were still ongoing and that they would assess its environmental impact.

At a press conference in Tirana on Wednesday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Rama assured that his government would “put the process in the spotlight by ensuring full transparency regarding all documents related to this widely discussed project.”

While Rama was meeting the EU Commission chief, several hundred people protested outside his office with banners reading “No EU with Rama.”