Albania: Violence Against Greeks in Svernets – Rama’s Land Grab for Jared Kushner Projects
Serious violence against Greek expatriates in Svernets, Avlona, has once again exposed the systematic persecution of the Greek minority in Albania. Behind the armed attacks lies a multi-billion euro luxury tourism project linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, as the Rama regime expropriates Greek-owned properties.
No one can claim to be surprised that last weekend our television screens were once again filled with scenes of violence from Albania. Once again in defense of specific economic interests, once again at the expense of Greek expatriates. In other words, a repeat of the incidents that are constantly taking place in Rama’s country. The same man who has been accused of seizing the property of Greeks in Himara, who imprisoned Freddy Beleri, and who covered up for those who murdered Greeks, such as Konstantinos Katsifas and Aristotelis Goumas. The man who has established a regime in which the collusion between the mafia and the state has reached unprecedented levels.
What is truly shocking about this whole situation, however, is the fact that Rama himself aspires to bring his country into the European Union. And despite the fact that Albania’s path to the EU runs through Athens—as Greek politicians remind us after every provocation by Rama—somehow every provocation is forgotten in due course, and Greece continues to “support” its European course. So what if the Greeks of Albania are shouting, as they did now:
There is no road to Brussels that passes over bloodied citizens and plundered property.
Instead of clearly imposing a “VETO” until Rama’s parastatal plans and organizations are dismantled, with the aim of safeguarding the Greek minority, it appears to want at all costs to brush aside every Albanian provocation—whether it concerns its property or the issue of the EEZ. While the neighboring country’s accession to the European Union necessarily requires Greek approval, this appears to be granted in advance and unconditionally to Rama. The Maximos Mansion (The Greek government’s seat in Athens) and the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs are watching developments as mere observers, issuing lukewarm statements and supporting Tirana’s European prospects without receiving absolutely anything in return.
The incidents in Svernets
This time, the images came from Svernets in Avlona, where well-armed paramilitaries, defenders of Rama’s policies, seriously injured a Greek expatriate who attempted to defend his land.
Many saw the images, but the statement from the Youth of Northern Epirus describes them clearly: “Hooded men with chemical weapons, bulletproof vests, and tactical gear. Citizens crawling in the sand. People losing consciousness behind barbed wire, on their own land. And among them, a Greek expatriate injured to the point that the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs was forced to intervene in Tirana, demanding an investigation and accountability. This is not an “isolated incident.” It is the moment the mask slipped. It is the moment Avlona saw, face to face, what the Rama system has created.”
The stench of money and the plundering of property
But what exactly happened in Svernets, and how did we end up with these brutal scenes of violence? Behind them lies a massive investment plan worth nearly 4 billion euros to create luxury tourist resorts in the area. According to official data and international reports, the project is directly linked to the business plans of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, and Ivanka Trump, who had visited the region by yacht and met personally with Edi Rama. The plan involves the construction of thousands of luxury villas, five-star hotels, and private marinas for recreational boats, transforming a pristine area into a real estate paradise for the global elite.
But to roll out the red carpet for “strategic investors,” the Albanian state does not hesitate to raze protected environmental zones, to drastically alter legislation regarding national parks, and, most importantly, to proceed with the expropriation of local residents’ properties. The residents, among whom are Greek expatriates, have owned these tracts of land for generations, yet the Rama regime arbitrarily designates them as “state land” in order to hand them over to its chosen few.
Favors for Erdogan and the Cham Issue
At the same time, the issue of demarcating the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between the two states remains scandalously stalled. Tirana is leading the way in delays, avoiding the signing of the mutual agreement for the International Court of Justice in The Hague, while Athens watches awkwardly. The government stubbornly refuses to link the critical issue of the EEZ to the European funds and accession funds that Rama so desperately needs to sustain his domestic system and is selling out to his “buddy” Erdogan.
Furthermore, he continues to artificially “stir up” the issue of the Chams and their claims against our country, in order—as the Greeks of Northern Epirus have often denounced—to secure their support for Albania’s domestic politics.
The Albanian Prime Minister Is Spouting Nonsense
After the images from Albania came to light, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs was forced to respond with yet another official and rather perfunctory statement, condemning the use of force by Albanian security authorities, demanding a full account of the circumstances surrounding the Greek citizen’s injury, and asserting—once again—that such practices undermine Tirana’s European path.
Domestically, the opposition launched a frontal attack, with Alexis Tsipras accusing the government of passivity and failing to protect the rights of the diaspora, emphasizing that Athens is watching awkwardly without exercising its veto power over accession chapters. At the same time, the other opposition parties issued statements denouncing Albanian provocations, human rights violations, and the seizure of property, while also sharply criticizing the government for its policy of appeasement, which has failed miserably.
And yet, Edi Rama appeared more provocative than ever, choosing to “play the fool” on the international stage. With his recent statements, he not only attacked the Greek political leadership and Alexis Tsipras with incredible audacity over their protests, but went so far as to claim with hypocritical naivety that he “did not know” there was a Greek minority in that particular region. This is the Albanian elite’s standard, poorly executed routine, which includes the marginalization of the Greek presence, the systematic violation of human rights, and their economic persecution through land confiscation.
