ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Albania entered its fourth day of protests on Wednesday against a multibillion-dollar construction project backed by Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, in one of the Mediterranean’s most valuable natural areas.

For days, thousands of people and environmental organizations across Albania have been protesting a massive tourism project linked to Jared Kushner and Trump’s daughter Ivanka, while also calling for the resignation of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama for backing a development he hopes will turn Albania into a tourist destination envied by other countries in the region.

Since late April, bulldozers have been tearing through the area without a completed environmental impact assessment or any public consultation, causing damage to one of Europe’s most significant coastal ecosystems.

Demonstrators demanded a government halt to the resort development, shouting "Cancel the project" while brandishing signs that read "Albania is not for sale." Others held banners telling Kushner’s wife, "Ivanka, go home," as worries over corruption and the permanent destruction of the local environment continued to mount.

The project, estimated to be worth around $4 billion, is promoted by Kushner’s investment firm Affinity Partners and targets the uninhabited island of Sazan and hundreds of acres within the Vjosa-Narta protected area, located in the southern community of Zvernec. He unveiled plans for the resort in August 2024 and visited the site in early 2026 alongside Ivanka Trump.

Kushner also serves as Trump’s special envoy for peace and is involved in diplomatic negotiations regarding Iran and Ukraine, as well as serving on Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza — raising questions about the potential conflict of interest between his business empire and political roles.

Albania’s Special Anti-Corruption Prosecution Office (SPAK) launched an investigation just this week into a 2024 legislative reform that rolled back construction restrictions in highly sensitive areas – a legal change that paved the way for luxury resorts and tourism developments in regions that were previously under strict environmental protection.

"Investment doesn't stop as long as I'm here," stated Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama when asked about the Zvernec project during a Tuesday press conference with the President of the Council of Europe.

Rama has rejected criticism from environmental groups and continues to defend the project, with the government maintaining that the development does not encroach on a protected nature reserve and is moving forward in full compliance with environmental and legal regulations.

“I want to make Albania a destination that other countries in the region will envy, and this project is part of that commitment,” Rama said.