Ivanka Trump’s visit to Vlora, made public months ago, is returning to the center of debate after Prime Minister Edi Rama gave his version of what is actually being discussed regarding Sazan and Zvërnec. His statements indicate that, despite the public noise, there is still no contract for Sazan, only open negotiations that have continued for years.
Rama on the visit: public, but followed by speculation
In an interview on the “Flasim” podcast, Rama spoke about Ivanka Trump’s visit to Vlora together with a group of engineers, saying it had been public and not secret.
According to the prime minister’s version, the debate that followed was fueled by speculation and by the way the topic was treated in the media. He claimed that falsehoods have been repeated around this visit, while insisting that the public did not receive any essentially new information simply from her presence in Vlora.
Two separate projects: Sazan state-owned, Zvërnec privately owned
Rama drew a clear distinction between the two areas that, according to him, are often mixed together in public discussion. He said these are two different projects involving the same investors.
According to the government, the key difference is ownership status: Sazan is state property, while Zvërnec is private property. This distinction, according to the prime minister, also determines the nature of the procedures being followed in each case.
For Sazan, there is no contract, only years-long negotiations
The most important point in Rama’s statement was the acknowledgment that no contract yet exists for Sazan. According to him, there are only negotiations that have continued for years, and the investors have not asked to buy the island.
The prime minister denied that the island is for sale and said Sazan will remain state property. He added that the discussions concern only a limited part of the area, around 8% of the island, which translates to approximately 45 hectares out of a total of 560.
At the same time, Rama described the area as difficult to develop, mentioning mines, the lack of water and electricity. These arguments were used to qualify the idea that this is an asset ready to be exploited without cost and without problems.
Zvërnec awaiting a new project
On Zvërnec, Rama said the situation is different. According to him, the government rejected the first project and is now waiting for a new project to be submitted.
Here too, several essential elements remain unanswered publicly: what exactly was rejected, what criteria were set, and what real stage the process is in. So far, official statements show only that a new proposal is expected for Zvërnec, while negotiations for Sazan have not been concluded.
Rama’s statements clarify that at this stage there is no signed agreement for Sazan, but they do not dispel the questions about the content of the negotiations, the limits of the intervention and the public interest in an area of high sensitivity.
In essence, the government is trying to convey the message that the island is not being sold. But as long as the process remains under negotiation and without detailed public documents, the debate is unlikely to end with political statements alone.