Jared Kushner's investment firm Affinity Partners is developing a luxury resort on Albania's Adriatic coast, covering the protected Vjosa-Narta wetland and the island of Sazan, a former communist military installation that remained off-limits to civilians for decades. The Albanian government has granted the project "strategic investor" status, providing expedited permitting and regulatory accommodations. A law passed in 2024 permits five-star hotel construction anywhere in the country, including in designated protected natural areas. The total projected investment is valued at up to five billion euros. Sources confirmed this is how investment works.

Ivanka Trump described the island on a podcast in May as something she and her husband had "discovered" while sailing on a friend's boat, stopping for a swim, and hiking barefoot to the summit. The island had, at the time of discovery, no civilian infrastructure and had been inaccessible to the general public for decades. Access required knowing someone who knew where it was. Sazan Real Estate Development LLC, the firm handling the project, has stated that development will proceed responsibly. Sources familiar with previous exclusive island operations associated with members of the extended network were not available for comment. Sources at Mar-a-Lago said they recognized the arrangement. Sources did not elaborate.

The Albania project follows a similar venture in Serbia. Kushner's firm withdrew from that project in December after four government officials were charged with corruption in connection with the land acquisition. A spokesperson said "meaningful projects should unite rather than divide." Kushner then identified Albania. Albania's parliament then amended its environmental laws. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Tirana in June 2026, some carrying inflatable flamingos. Private security guards installed barbed wire fencing across public beach access points. Several protesters were injured in clashes with the guards. Albania's Special Prosecution Office Against Corruption and Organized Crime subsequently opened a formal investigation into the funds used to acquire the land. Sources described this sequence as a standard part of the process. Sources did not elaborate on which process.

Prime Minister Rama told reporters the project represents a "big dream" and that its opponents would not prevail. The development is projected to create approximately 1,000 jobs. The flamingo habitat currently nesting in the protected Vjosa-Narta wetland supports zero jobs. The turtles do not have access to the right networks. The resort will feature private villas, a marina, and a luxury hotel managed by Aman Resorts. Access to the island will remain, as it has always been, a matter of knowing the right people. Sources noted that previous exclusive island developments associated with members of the investor's broader social circle were unrelated to this project. The sources confirmed this without being asked.