Albania, Serbia: the wonderful investments of Trump's son-in-law in the Balkans
It was on the X network, naturally, that Jared Kushner confirmed his projects in the Balkans on March 15. Donald Trump's son-in-law intends to create luxury resorts in Albania and Serbia.
In Belgrade, the Serbian headquarters site bombed in 1999 by NATO planes. © Laurent Geslin/RFI
By: Jean-Arnault Dérens Follow | Laurent Geslin Follow
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In
Albania
, Jared Kushner is targeting the island of Sazan, a natural paradise closing the bay of Vlora, still devoid of any construction, because this former military domain is a protected area. In
Serbia
, it is the site of the general staff, which has erected its immense structure in the center of Belgrade since its bombing by NATO planes in April and May 1999, which could accommodate the projects of the American investor.
Environmental activist and member of the Serbian Parliament, Aleksandar Jovanović Ćuta had spilled the beans two days earlier, revealing a memorandum of understanding between Jared Kushner's company and the Serbian Ministry of Construction, which provides for the free transfer for 99 years of 'a vast area, including the site of the former general staff, but also buildings still used by the Ministry of Defense and the intelligence services. Serbia and Atlantic Incubation Partners LLC, a subsidiary of Kushner Realty LLC, are expected to establish a limited liability company domiciled in Serbia.
The Serbian government weakly tried to deny this project, before the confirmation of Jared Kushner removed the slightest doubt, and President
Aleksandar Vučić
was quick to declare himself
"delighted"
about it, while claiming
"not to know all the details.
Two large towers housing luxury hotels and apartments could emerge from the ruins of the former masterpiece of Yugoslav brutalism, built in 1963 by architect Nikola Dobrović. The complex should house a memorial and a museum, but, for art historian Branislav Dimitrijević, the old headquarters should be reconstructed identically or its ruins should be preserved as they are.
Himself a former chief of staff and now an opposition deputy, General Zdravko Ponoš denounces the
“gift”
given to the American company, believing that President Vučić is trying to
“monetize his political future”.
The Serbian opposition has few illusions: a few years ago, the government imposed a
lex specialis
to allow the construction of the Belgrade Waterfront complex by Emirati investors, which ravaged part of central Belgrade.
“No one should ever have to apologize for wanting to make money”
Behind this agreement between the Serbian regime and a representative of the Trump family slips the shadow of Richard Grenell, former special envoy of the American president to the Balkans, who always goes to Belgrade, where he has been seen spending evenings with the Minister of Finance, Siniša Mali. Last summer, Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump spent a few days of vacation in Albania, taking a souvenir photo with Prime Minister Rama, but also with Richard Grenell.
While the Albanian Parliament has just passed a law allowing the realization of tourist projects in protected areas, Edi Rama refuses to speak. On Tuesday, he even passed his hand over the head of a private television journalist who had tried to ask him a question on the subject, in a macho gesture that sparked indignation among Albanian journalists.
Richard Grenell would be directly involved in the Sazan island project, which he also justified by explaining to Albanian television that
“no one should ever have to apologize for wanting to make money”
. The concession for the future hotel would be entrusted to the Aman group, domiciled in the canton of Zug, in Switzerland, owned by Russian oligarch Vladislav Doronin. In 2022, a former FBI executive, Charles McGonigal, was appointed head of security for the Aman Resorts group. However, he was sentenced to 50 months in prison in December 2023 for having collaborated for a long time with another Russian oligarch, the “king of aluminum” Oleg Deripaska. And Charles McGonigal is also involved in a scandal in Albania, for having received $225,000 to lobby in favor of Edi Rama in the United States.
Jared Kushner's projects once again unite Edi Rama and Aleksandar Vučić, whom Richard Grenell had brought together around the Open Balkans project, a regional free trade area supported by
the Trump administration
, but also around the idea of sharing of Kosovo and a redefinition of the region's borders, supposed to guarantee the “stability” of the Balkans. It’s a safe bet that this project will quickly resurface if Donald Trump is re-elected. Edi Rama and Aleksandar Vučić, in any case, kept excellent communication channels, thanks to their mutual friend Richard Grenell.
Excited to share some early design images for development projects we have been creating for the Albanian coast and downtown Belgrade. @nytimes @business pic.twitter.com/o0HIYLkZWV
— Jared Kushner (@jaredkushner) March 15, 2024
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