Kostas Konomi’s every stroll along this narrow strip of Albanian coastline dotted with coves was a journey into the past. He and his father used to plant wheat, corn and vegetables there. He remembers other villagers from neighboring Zvernec once maintaining farms and pastures in the area.
“Every field has a name,” he says. Recently, however, he has been unable to approach these areas. A barbed wire fence prohibits access, while trucks and bulldozers are leaving their mark on the pristine sandy beaches. “I don’t know what they’re doing behind our backs, while we’re still in court over the ownership of the land,” he adds.
For the past two years, residents of Zvernec have been in turmoil since learning that Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, plans to invest in this area of southern Albania, northwest of the city of Vlore, by building a luxury tourist resort.
Last January, Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump visited the area accompanied by a group of architects and businessmen, creating the feeling that locals may soon find themselves before a fait accompli. The couple visited the beaches unspoiled by mass tourism and St Mary’s Monastery in the Narta Lagoon.
The recent fencing of the area intensified concerns among the locals that they would be pushed aside. According to Albanian media reports, an offshore company in the Netherlands is behind the construction of the fence – Kushner’s name does not appear in its statements. Based on what has been known so far, road construction projects are currently underway to facilitate the later development of the area. Kathimerini attempted to contact a representative of the construction company for clarification, but did not receive a response.
