Prime Minister Edi Rama is negotiating Sazan, an asset of Albania, through an arbitrary approach based mainly on personal relationships for the sake of power, bypassing legal and institutional standards.
Since 2024, when Jared Kushner – son-in-law of US President Donald Trump – announced interest in turning the island into a private luxury resort, the public narrative about Sazan has been filled with promises of economic development, elite investment and a boost to the country's image.
But after two years, the balance is this: Kushner has gained free marketing for his international real estate portfolio. Rama has gained sympathy and closeness with the Trump family, strengthening his political positions domestically. While Albanians and the Albanian state itself have gained nothing concrete.
On the contrary. Another dangerous precedent has been set where a territorial unit of the country is being offered for development in the absence of competition, transparency, and without clear legal and economic guarantees.
Documents provided by Citizens.al indicate that negotiations are formally taking place in institutions and have been postponed indefinitely since November 13, 2025. Officially, there is no plan for Zvërnec, while the plans indicate that the entire island of Sazan will be privatized – in contrast to the initial narrative that it would be affected "only 8% of the surface area".
In fact, 45.6 hectares (8%) of the 570 hectares of land are the area that will be occupied by construction, while the project shows that Sazani turns into a private island.
The actual dimensions of the proposed project
So far, the public has only been introduced to three images released by Jared Kushner. on March 15, 2024 on the “X” platform: villas scattered on the slopes of Sazan and a vision of massive constructions on the Zvërnec wetland area. They have circulated in almost all reports talking about the project proposal.
But the project's phase summary map, which Citizens.al has available, shows a different reality about the island's fate.
According to the analyzed documentation, Sazani is proposed to be divided into three general regions, organized according to development phases with approximately 448,000 m² of construction for approximately 970 residential/hotel units. The island is conceived as an integrated whole, where the entire road and traffic network will be in function of the constructions.
With the first phase, the heart of the island is being privatized: the port and the central area - precisely the functional hub of Sazan, where the old buildings of the former military units are currently located, and it is the only entry point to the island.
Read: From visitor to strategic investor, how Jared Kushner secured Sazan
In the “Marina Area” area, 1,000 m² of amenities and 18,000 m² of service spaces are planned. Around it, in the “North Valley” area, 39,000 m² of construction with 56 villas and 11 apartments (condos) are planned.
“South Valley” adds 22,000 m² with 144 hotel villas. While “Central Ridge” is expected to have 63,000 m² with 56 villas and 26 condos. “West Valley” includes 8,000 m² with 25 hotel villas and “West Estates” 5,000 m² with 8 private residences.
This first phase does not seem like a pilot phase, as it lays the foundations of a complete residential and hotel infrastructure that transforms the center of the island into a functionally closed complex.
The second phase spreads to the coastal slopes and edges. The development expands to the north-south edges and hills of the island with larger real estate spaces that appear to be offered as residences.
"North Point" includes 30,000 m² with 35 villas. "North Ridge Estate" adds 35,000 m² with 35 "estates". "West Estates" envisages 23,000 m² with 20 "estates". "South Ridge Estates" 14,000 m² with 13 "estates". "South Point" 18,000 m² with 16 villas.
This phase affects precisely the panoramic areas and slopes with the highest landscape value. From a development perspective, these appear to be the “Premium” segments of the project. From a public perspective, they are the parts that have until now been natural and untouched open space.
The project continues with a third phase left as a possibility for future expansion. This is the most significant aspect, as it is the area labeled as a “Potential Future Phase” and focuses on more massive development to the west of the port area.
It envisages 172,000 m² of development with 525 units (which means apartments).
This single figure changes the scale of the discussion. If realized, the third phase will lead the island to a building density that practically encloses all the space available for other projects.
In territorial planning terms, this means that Sazani is proposed as an exclusive and sole development, with no room for other public or private initiatives outside of this project.
Thus, the initial narrative of “8% of the surface” that had created the perception of a limited intervention is another thing when approaching this proposed map. The project is not isolated in one corner of the island, but extends to the center, the ridges and the coastal edges.
Even if the ratio of construction to total area remains formal, the dynamics of development indicate that the island will function as a single private complex.
With this plan, Sazani is not just a resort. It is a territory designed for exclusive use, integrated and centralized under a single operator.
And this is supposed to shift the debate from "what percentage is built" to the question that "what remains truly public"?
The negotiating group exists only as a "formality"
Citizens.al has learned that the negotiating group that discussed and signed documents for Sazan from January 13 to October 27, 2025, met a total of 10 times.
The nine-member group consisted of:
- Elira Kokona, head of the Albanian Investment Corporation (KISH);
- Ermal Nufi (today Minister of Defense), then representative of the Deputy Prime Minister's Cabinet;
- Sofjan Jaupaj (today Minister of Environment), then Deputy Minister of Tourism and Environment;
- Ami Kozeli (today director of ARRSH), then Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Energy;
- Enkelejd Musabelliu, Deputy Minister of Economy, Culture and Innovation;
- Eldi Çondi, cabinet director at the Ministry of Finance;
- Aleks Marku, Secretary of the Ministry of Defense;
- Alban Binaj, administrator of Albanian Seasports Development (ASD);
- Fiona Beqiri, project manager from the Albanian Investment Development Agency (AIDA).
This group was established as a technical structure following the decision of the Strategic Investment Committee at the end of 2024, which granted strategic investor status to Kushner's proposal.
In theory, this is the standard mechanism: The state creates a negotiating body and through it discusses the terms with the investor. But in practice, the documents show something else.
The list of meetings includes presentations, action plans, discussions on a memorandum of understanding and – finally – discussions on extending the negotiation deadline.
There is no clear published record of intensive joint meetings with the investor. There are no minutes documenting concrete negotiations on territory, usage rights, or economic obligations.
According to AIDA, the investor is represented "on official terms" by Asher Abehsera as administrator. However, it is not clear which legal entity he specifically represented, as the authorization documents have not been published.
This leaves open the possibility that negotiations were conducted mainly through letters or other informal mediations, possibly also through a representative or local collaborator, who may have pre-contracts to engage as a subcontractor in the development of the project.
Meanwhile, outside the institutions, media reports show a much more intense engagement: visits, lunches, dinners, and high-level receptions, where the project was discussed with the direct presence of Prime Minister Rama.
Read: Sazan's Dinner: How public wealth was put on the table
In this duality, the technical group seems more like a procedural artifice to fulfill a legal obligation, while real decision-making seems to depend on the Prime Minister's whims and the progress of his personal relations with Trump's family.
Negotiations without deadline and without explanation
Negotiations for the development of Sazan were supposed to end on November 13, 2025, but this date was not respected and was postponed indefinitely. AIDA agreed to Citizens.al that the postponement has been made "with the consent of the parties", but gave no concrete reasons and no new final date, despite Citizens' insistence.
In strategic investment negotiations, delays are usually related to real obstacles such as the legal status of the land, ownership conflicts, geological conditions, financial disagreements, etc. But none of these reasons have been mentioned.
Meanwhile, it is known that the island lacks basic infrastructure – water and electricity are lacking – essential elements for sustainable development.
AIDA states that the details will only be made public when the agreement is finalized. In other words, citizens will be informed after Rama has served the next dinner and the decision is practically irreversible.
Officially, AIDA states that the project only includes Sazan and has no application for Zvërnec. However, in January, a delegation associated with Ivanka Trump also visited that area and held a meeting with architects and senior officials.
Read: "The State as a Real Estate Agent", from Sazani to Zyber Hallulli
Why an area that "not part of the project" is included in the itinerary of the reception then? Either Zvërneci is being used to expand the development narrative and strengthen the resonance of Jared Kushner's portfolio – that is, as marketing, – or there is a parallel plan that has not yet been formalized.
In both cases, public communication does not match official documents and the losers are Albanian citizens, institutions, and the rule of law.
The Territorial Development Agency (TDA) accepted for Citizens.al that its representatives were present at the activities held during Ivanka Trump's visit to Vlora. But this agency emphasized that its role was "institutional guide" se "she was not an organizer" and neither "I don't know who organized the activity".
This creates a paradoxical situation. A state institution participates in an activity related to a strategic investment in the territory, but has no basic information about its organizer or structure.
In practice, this suggests an abusive and highly arbitrary model of decision-making where private meetings have the presence of the state, but not its administrative responsibility.
Investment diplomacy and the “Trump House”
The story of Sazan goes beyond a tourist project. It touches on the way Albania – a candidate country for the European Union – manages public assets and builds relationships with powerful international actors.
One of the fundamental EU standards is open competition and transparency in the management of public property. The Sazan project is not the result of an international competition, but of direct negotiation.
In other cases with unsolicited offers, at least one formal competition has been opened. With Sazan, after two years, negotiations are still ongoing without conclusion.
In a region where international support is seen as a guarantee of political security, investment can also take on a diplomatic dimension. But this raises a fundamental question: Is economic development being used as an instrument for political proximity? If so, at what cost?
Because the debate is no longer just about a resort. It is about how a small state negotiates with large actors: Through following the law, open and competitive procedures, or through privileged relationships that promise not only capital but also proximity to the power of the "Trump House."
In the end, who will enjoy this political closeness and how long it will last, the Albanian state or the current prime minister?
Read also:
- Kushner, Rama, Vučić: Triangle of interests at the expense of the public
- €450 million Corporation projects “ready for permit” without transparency
- The Corporation's plan clashes with a legally recognized private property
Erblin Vukaj has completed his studies in “Communication Sciences” and further mastered (MSc) in “European and International Journalism” at the University of Tirana. Since 2012, Vukaj has been working as a professional journalist, gaining experience in online media, print media, radio and television. He has covered various issues such as current affairs, health, environment and sports. In parallel, he has led and been involved in several research projects on the communist past in Albania.
