FLASH
Shkruar nga Peter Lucas
Journalist and writer Peter Lucas has written an article about Albania, focusing on Rama's decision to announce Jared Kushner as a strategic investor. Lucas, a very good connoisseur of developments in Albania, writes about how Rama has swallowed the former accusations against Trump. According to him, Rama is seeking another mandate in the elections thanks to his connection with the US president's son-in-law.
It's nice to know a president, but even nicer if he's your father-in-law.
Ahead of President Donald Trump's inauguration, the Albanian government approved a luxury development project for Sazan Island, a $1.4 billion project linked to Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The decision was sealed by the country's Strategic Investment Committee, which is controlled by Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama, 60, once a fierce critic of Trump but now has a change of heart.
An admirer of Hillary Clinton, Rama said in 2016 that a Trump victory would be a "catastrophe." He called Trump "a shameful American in the eyes of the world."
Rama said: "God save us if America elects Donald Trump as president."
This is not to say that Sazan's project would not have moved forward if Trump had not been elected. It is just to point out how much easier things become when you have a US president behind you and you are dealing with a country where most politicians have a price tag.
Kushner is a partner in the project with Affinity Partners, a $4.6 billion private equity firm in Saudi Arabia. It has plans for a hotel and apartment project near Vlora, an area that has been criticized for destroying the ecosystem.
The island of Sazan was used as a military base by Italy during World War II, and the remains of military fortifications abound. In addition, hundreds of old concrete bunkers, built during the rule of paranoid communist dictator Enver Hoxha, are there. There are still ammunition buried underground. Hoxha died in 1985.
Additionally, the Soviet Union used the island when it was on friendly terms with Albania. After the breakup of relations, the Soviets abandoned a fleet of submarines at a base near Vlora. They eventually rotted and sank.
The Sazan development project, which seeks to create a thousand jobs, will be a boon for Albania and its economy, as well as for Rama, who faces stiff competition as he seeks re-election in May. But the project represents a loss for environmentalists.
Rama is being rivaled by Sali Berisha, 80, a former president and prime minister who is seeking a comeback. He was targeted by the Biden administration, which sought to imprison him.
Edi Rama, with the support of the Biden administration, has persecuted Berisha as Joe Biden did with Trump, seeking to destroy him as an opponent.
He accused Berisha of political corruption, threw him out of Parliament and placed him under house arrest. He was recently released and is running against Rama.
Contrary to protocol, the US Ambassador appointed by Biden campaigned for Rama in the last elections, and then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared Berisha “persona non grata” over unannounced corruption allegations made eight years after Berisha left office.
Berisha claims that Blinken sanctioned him because of his long-standing criticism of George Soros, who sought to do to the Albanian justice system what he has done to the criminal justice system in the US.
The Blinken family has close ties to billionaire George Soros, who was recently awarded the Medal of Freedom by Biden.
In any case, the project will continue, and Rama, like many others, has backed away from criticizing Trump. In New York recently, the prime minister said he did not personally attack Donald Trump. "I did not attack the president, but the candidate," he said. But what does that mean?
Even before Trump's victory, Rama met with Kushner and his wife Ivanka to talk about the Sazan development project and give it his blessing.
Most importantly, she also has the blessing of President Trump.
In return, there is a possibility that as a reward, Trump will help Albania join the European Union, something it has been trying to do for years.
It's amazing what can happen when there's money to be made. / Adapted from "Pamphlet" by "Boston Herald"
Note: Peter Lucas is a veteran political journalist who has worked for the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, and the Lowell Sun. Lucas is the author of five books, three of which have been translated into Albanian. Peter Lucas’ three books published in Albanian are, “Rrumpalla-Rrëmimi në të të Shqipëriënë,” “OSS-të në Shqipëriënë e Vortësë të Second World War” and “Caesar of the Balkans.” In 1986, Lucas was the first American journalist allowed to visit communist Albania. After his first visit to Albania, he wrote a ten-part series for the Boston Herald, articles that attracted national and international attention because Albania was unknown to the world.
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