FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Kushner and Mrs. Trump visited Albania twice since Donald Trump left the office of president. They traveled the country with Grenell, and even met with the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama.
Jared Kushner, Donald J. Trump's son-in-law, confirmed Friday that he was closing major real estate deals in Albania and Serbia, the latest example of the former president's family doing business abroad, even as Trump again seeks The presidency.
Kushner's plans in the Balkans appear to have come about as a result of relationships built while Trump was in office.
Kushner, who was a senior White House official, said he worked on the deals with Richard Grenell, who served briefly as acting director of national intelligence under the Trump administration and also as ambassador to Germany. and special envoy to the Balkans.
One of the proposed projects would be to develop an island off the coast of Albania into a luxury tourist destination.
Both of these first two projects involve land now controlled by the respective governments, meaning that an agreement would have to be finalized with foreign governments.
A third project, also in Albania, would be built on the Zvërnec peninsula, a 1,000-hectare coastal area in southern Albania that is part of the tourist community known as Vlorë, where several hotels and hundreds of villas would be built. At least according to the plan.
Kushner's involvement is evidenced through his investment firm, Affinity Partners, which has $2 billion in funding from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, among other foreign investors.
In a statement, an Affinity Partners official said it had not been determined whether Saudi funds could be part of any projects Mr. Kushner is considering in the Balkans.
"We're very excited. We haven't finalized these deals, so they may not happen, but we've been working hard and we're very close," Kushner said in an interview.
Kushner started his investment company after leaving his job at the White House as a senior adviser.
He capitalized on the relationships he had built in government negotiations in the Middle East, which included a close relationship with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia.
Kushner ended up securing $2 billion from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund and hundreds of millions more from wealth funds in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
He has taken few public steps so far to actually invest large chunks of this money.
Grenell also made valuable connections while in government, including some that appear to have given the Kushner team an inside track on investments in the Balkans.
During his time in the Trump administration, Grenell worked on resolving disputes between Serbia and Kosovo.
Grenell has also remained close to Mr. Trump since the former president left office, defending him publicly and speaking to him regularly.
Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, which tracked business deals it deemed conflicts of interest during the Trump administration, said the planned deals were unethical and would only raise new questions for the Trump family, especially if Trump "reawakens." .
"At this point in the election cycle Jared Kushner should freeze any new investment plans," Weissman said.
"This particular investment plan appears to embody the worst of every corrupt tendency of the Trump administration and the Trump family."
The Trump family's involvement in foreign business deals became a major focus during Mr. Trump's tenure, with critics eventually suing and claiming the family was illegally benefiting from foreign payments referred to in the Constitution as gratuities while Trump was in office.
Those cases were dismissed as moot by the Supreme Court when Mr. Trump left office, but they could be reopened if he were to return to the White House.
Since leaving, Trump has become a partner in a development project in Oman, a deal he secured from a Saudi real estate firm with ties to the Saudi government.
Kushner denied any claims that he was getting preferential treatment because of his time in government, or that any of the jobs were related to the former president.
" Nobody is 'handing me' a deal ," said Mr. Kushner, who insisted he was not planning to return to Washington if his father-in-law won the presidency again.
"I operate very carefully and these investments will create a lot of value for local communities, our partners and our investors."
Representatives for Trump did not respond to multiple emails seeking comment.
Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, have largely stayed away from Mr. Trump's political activities since the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
The New York Times first approached Mr. Kushner on Wednesday morning about his upcoming projects in the Balkans.
He initially declined to answer questions, responding only after revealing his plans to Bloomberg News on Friday.
But also, both Kushner and Mrs. Trump visited Albania twice since Donald Trump left the office of president.
Ata udhëtuan vendin me Grenell, madje u takuan edhe me kryeministrin e Shqipërisë, Edi Rama. Kushner dhe Trump, së bashku me Grenell, janë fokusuar pjesërisht në Sazan, një ishull mesdhetar në jug të Shqipërisë që deri në fund të Luftës së Ftohtë ishte përdorur nga Bashkimi Sovjetik dhe nga komunistët. Qeveria e Shqipërisë si bazë ushtarake e fshehtë për nëndetëset.
Plani është që në ishull të ndërtohet një hotel dhe vila luksoze.
Ishulli i thyer prej dy miljesh katrore ka qindra bunkerë dhe tunele të epokës së Luftës së Ftohtë të projektuar për t'i bërë ballë sulmeve bërthamore dhe ka qenë kryesisht bosh që nga fundi i Bashkimit Sovjetik.
Por është vetëm një gjysmë ore me skaf nga Vlora, një destinacion turistik në Shqipërinë jugore ku qeveria e Arabisë Saudite po shpenzon tashmë para për të përmirësuar shërbimin e energjisë elektrike dhe shërbimet e tjera publike për të ndihmuar në promovimin e turizmit në Shqipëri.
Grenell, një ish-bashkëpunues i Fox News dhe konsulent mediatik, ka punuar ngushtë me zotin Kushner dhe firmën e tij të investimeve.
Madje Grenell ka qenë i zëshëm për përpjekjet e tij për t'i kthyer marrëdhëniet që ai ndërtoi në Shqipëri dhe gjetkë në Ballkan në përfitime personale.
Ai është kthyer vazhdimisht në rajon dhe është takuar me drejtues të industrisë së hotelerisë, si dhe me kryeministrin e Shqipërisë, Edi Rama.
“Ne po kërkojmë mundësi për të investuar përmes investimeve të huaja në Ballkan, por më konkretisht në Shqipëri, dhe bregdeti shqiptar është i mrekullueshëm”, tha Grenell në një nga një seri intervistash televizive dhe gazetash që ka bërë në Shqipëri në tre vitet e fundit.
Grenell shtoi në një intervistë televizive gati 90-minutëshe në Shqipëri vitin e kaluar se nuk kishte asgjë të keqe me arritjen e marrëveshjes së tij, sepse ai tani ishte jashtë qeverisë.
"Unë jam duke punuar në projekte, projekte të kapitalit privat, për të cilat mund të fitoj para," tha ai. "Askush nuk duhet të kërkojë kurrë falje që dëshiron të fitojë para."
Korrikun e kaluar zoti Grenell së bashku me Ivanka Trump dhe zotin Kushner u takuan edhe me Rama në Tiranë, kryeqytetin e Shqipërisë dhe u fotografuan të gjithë bashkë.
Rama ka bërë presion prej afro një dekade për të hapur Sazanin drejt rizhvillimit si destinacion turistik, si dhe kërkon mënyra të tjera për të tërhequr investitorë të huaj në Shqipëri për të zgjeruar ekonominë e saj turistike.
Auron Tare, një ish-deputet i Kuvendit të Shqipërisë që ka shërbyer si këshilltar i Ramës, mori zonjën Trump dhe zotin Kushner në ishullin e Sazanit në vitin 2021 si pjesë e një vizite në Shqipëri që përfshinte një lundrim me një jaht dhe një udhëtim me helikopter nëpër bregdet.
Po ashtu, Tare, në një intervistë tha se ka diskutuar me Kushner dhe znj.Trump dëshirën për të zhvilluar Sazanin, por për ta bërë këtë në një mënyrë që do të ruante historinë dhe mjedisin e tij.
Grenell has continuously used Instagram and other social media accounts to promote tourism in Albania and praise Mr. Rama, the prime minister.
"I support Rama's vision for the Balkans," Mr. Grenell said in a television interview in 2021.
"I love Albania and invite American investors to the country".
The government of Saudi Arabia recently announced that it was looking for ways to increase its investment in Albania, first by helping to build water, electricity and sewerage services near beach areas in Vlora, which is the departure point for Sazan and where a new international airport. is already being built.
She has said that she wants to invest up to 300 million dollars in the country.
Saudi officials traveled to Albania to announce the creation of what they call the Saudi-Albania Business Council "to create a new economic partnership between the two countries," including tourism projects./ Seattle Times.com
Lini një Përgjigje