Trump's son‑in-law plans €931m luxury venture on Albanian island

Jared Kushner wants to build over €931 million worth of luxury hotels and apartments on the rocky Sazan Island belonging to Albania. During the Cold War, it housed a military base. Donald Trump's son-in-law also plans to build a hotel on the site of the current ruins of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army.

Sazan Island has an area of 5 square kilometres, and about 50 people are expected to inhabit it. However, this may change in the future thanks to Jared Kushner, an entrepreneur and privately Donald Trump's son-in-law.

"The 1,400-acre deserted island could become a coveted retreat. Kushner aims to build luxury villas stacked onto cliff tops towering over where the Adriatic and Ionian seas meet in the Mediterranean, blending into the rugged landscape. The hotel will be operated by the exclusive brand Aman, whose customers include Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and the Kardashians," highlights Bloomberg.

According to the agency's information, Kushner plans to allocate €931 million for investments, which the Albanian government supports. The entrepreneur admitted in an interview with Bloomberg that he is "increasingly excited" about the potential of the Albanian island. Since 2021, he has been to Albania several times - the last time in June - together with his wife, Ivanka Trump. The couple flew to the Balkans by private jet and travelled by helicopter.

The Albanian Ministry of Tourism and Environment confirmed that it had received an American project to redevelop facilities on Sazan Island. Work is underway to consider it.

According to Mirela Kumbaro, Minister of Tourism and Environment, the Albanian government's investment agency, led by pro-American Prime Minister Edi Rama, has received Kushner's application for the Sazan project and is considering it.

Kushner also plans an investment in Belgrade. Trump’s son-in-law wants to demolish the ruins of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army after NATO bombings in 1999 and build a hotel-apartment complex in its place. The "Financial Times" calls this site the "sanctuary of Serbian nationalism."

Kushner, who also leads an investment fund with Saudi Arabian capital, is said to have already signed an agreement with the Serbian government. He is supported by Richard Grenell, the special envoy for the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue during Donald Trump's presidency, who still maintains close relations with the region's governments.

The British newspaper observes analysts claim that the deal is a case study showing how a small, unaligned state can prepare for the possible return of Trump to the White House. It also reflects the West's increased focus on Serbia at a time when detaching it from historically close Russia has become a priority.

Although Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic maintains that the transaction is purely business-related, the agreement seems explicitly political. Thanks to it, Vucic will maintain close relations with a possible winner of the November presidential elections in the USA, explains "FT".