Bushati responds to Rama: No Iranian interference in protests, Albania stands firmly with the USA, popular movement will shape the nation’s fate

The massive protests aiming to remove Prime Minister Edi Rama from power have drawn the attention of the prestigious American daily, The Atlantic.

According to the report, the wave of demonstrations in Albania erupted at the end of May, after footage was released showing private security guards punching and dragging a citizen along the coast in Zvërnec, where part of a complex linked to the Trump family is planned to be built.

Former Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati described that moment as a watershed.

“What began as a clash over the right to access the sea and nature, within a few days turned into a revolt over who has the authority to decide the country’s future,” he stated.

In the capital Tirana, thousands of citizens took to the streets carrying banners with slogans like “Albania is not for sale” and “We don’t want Albania like Dubai.”

For his part, Rama responded firmly, stressing that there is no possibility of the project being stopped as long as he remains in office.

As the movement expanded, it became fertile ground for feverish speculation and conspiracy narratives. Some demonstrators drew connections to Kushner’s support for a so-called “Gaza Riviera,” expressing concern that Albanian territory might be used to relocate Palestinians.

In the online space, commentators labeled the development as “another Epstein island,” alluding to the properties of sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein in the Virgin Islands.

Another point of contention was the government-backed plan for a Kanye West concert on the outskirts of Tirana, which added to the general discontent.

Interest in the situation came from across the ideological spectrum. Senator Bernie Sanders hailed the protests as a stand against “global oligarchy,” while right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones enthused about an inevitable “civil war.”

Prime Minister Rama has dismissed the grassroots nature of the movement, claiming it had been hijacked by external forces. He has blamed “enemies of Israel and Albania,” as well as “Trump haters.”

Albania, where about half the population is Muslim, has a strong alliance with Israel, based on historical gratitude.

During World War II, guided by the traditional code of honor, besa, Albanians hid thousands of Jewish refugees, making the country the only one in Europe that had more Jewish residents after the Holocaust than before it. In this century, Albania became a target of the Iranian regime after it agreed, at the request of the US and UN in 2013, to host exiled members of the dissident group Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK).

In 2022, Albanian authorities expelled Iranian diplomats after concluding that Tehran was behind a series of cyberattacks against critical infrastructure and state institutions.

Over recent weeks, Rama has accused Iran of orchestrating a “hybrid war” by spreading disinformation about the tourism project and inciting opposition to his government’s plans. Iran has categorically denied these accusations.

Meanwhile, protesters are determined to demonstrate that their uprising is genuine and homegrown.

Former Minister Bushati has described the demonstrations as “the best investment in our image as a people and in our path towards the European Union.”

He reported that up to 200,000 people mobilized during the July 4th weekend and dismissed claims of a foreign plot. “Iran has no influence whatsoever in Albania,” he stressed. “This is a country that happily stays in the orbit of the United States.”

However, it does not seem that Iranian influence is needed to destabilize the resort plans. The ownership of the land where part of the project is planned is contested. Sazan Island is state-owned, which means a lease contract would eventually be necessary; for now, the Trump-linked consortium holds the status of “strategic investor,” which facilitates the permit process and negotiations for a long-term deal. On the other hand, the coastal land in Zvërnec is private property.

Entities linked to the Trump couple bought it from a Miami-based entrepreneur, Artur Shehu, who insists that his family’s right to this land dates back to the Ottoman period. Local residents of Zvërnec argue that they are the rightful owners. The situation is murky because the land was nationalized during the communist regime and when properties were returned to individuals in the 1990s, ownership rights often remained contested.