TIRANA, Albania (AP) 鈥� Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama is vowing to press ahead with a linked to 鈥檚 son-in-law , despite a surge in protests against it there.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Rama dismissed environmental objections as the result of misinformation and said the development was turning from a country once ignored by investors into one 鈥渨here the big capital wants to come and the big investors want to come.”
The government says the development would be transformational for the former communist nation as it seeks to enter the high-end tourism market and pushes for European Union membership.
But thousands of demonstrators have joined outside Rama’s office in the capital, Tirana 鈥� including on Tuesday 鈥� against the planned project that includes hotels, apartments, villas and a marina for yachts.
The prime minister said a formal environmental impact assessment has not started, even though work has begun to clear land inside a nature reserve.
Asked if he might step back from the project, Rama refused, adding, 鈥淪tep back from what?鈥�
Albania鈥檚 anti-corruption agency has opened an investigation related to the project. The government says the land is privately owned, but rival claims over its privatization have emerged.
鈥榊our country鈥檚 absolutely stunning鈥�
Rama said Kushner鈥檚 proposal began by chance. He recalled a dinner in southern Albania with Kushner, his wife, , and friends who had stopped in the port of Durres to refuel their boat on the way to Montenegro.
Months later, Kushner approached him at a gathering of world leaders and business executives in Davos, Switzerland, and expressed interest in investing in Albania, Rama said.
鈥淵our country鈥檚 absolutely stunning, and we would like to look for a chance to invest,鈥� Rama recalled Kushner telling him.
An investment firm linked to Kushner has been granted special investor status by Albanian authorities.
The luxury project has two components: a coastal development in the Narta Lagoon area, which is a wildlife reserve, and a smaller resort on the nearby uninhabited island of Sazan, a communist-era military base.
鈥楾his is still a planning process鈥�
Work has already begun to clear land inside a nature reserve used by migratory birds, prompting environmental groups to warn of the destruction of long-preserved habitats. Albania has 450 kilometers (280 miles) of coast that remained largely underdeveloped during decades of harsh communist rule.
Rama said a formal environmental impact assessment has not started because the plan for the development has not been finalized. He said international architects and environmental specialists are still shaping the proposal.
鈥淲hen it comes to the environment, there is no project yet, there is no environmental impact assessment yet, because this is still a planning process,鈥� he said.
He argued that Albania has a strong conservation record, pointing to bans on hunting and logging that he said helped flamingo populations recover.
鈥淲e have fantastic documentation of how the wildlife in Albania came back thanks to the 10 years moratorium of hunting,鈥� Rama said.
Since late May, excavators and other heavy machinery have entered the planned development area, opening access routes, digging into the sand, clearing land among pine trees and installing fencing.
Rama says criticism is full of 鈥榟alf-truths鈥�
The prime minister suggested that some of the backlash to the project was being amplified by outside interference, citing what he described as a long-running Iranian cyber campaign against Albania.
Albania has of backing hackers who attack the country鈥檚 cyber infrastructure, after Albania sheltered members of an Iranian opposition group. Tehran has denied the allegations.
鈥淭here is a lot of manipulation. There is a lot of half-truths that become bigger and bigger lies by the hour,鈥� he said.
He emphasized that he was not accusing individual protesters of acting as foreign agents.
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