The Albanian government has today signed the agreement with the investor Alabbar for the project of the tourist port of Durrës, "Durrës Yacht & Marina".
The agreement was signed by the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy Besart Kadia, the investor Muhammed El Alabbar and Erlis Hereni, director of the Agency for the realization of this project.
The head of the government considers it as the biggest foreign investment in the history of Albania.
"Ready with everything now for the most important tourist project, the biggest foreign investment in our history and perhaps in the region, which will fundamentally transform Durres, placing it in the main tourist destinations in the Mediterranean, with an impact deep economic not only for the coastal city but for the whole country. The signing of the agreement for the development of the "Durrës Yacht & Marina" project is the finalization of a long, voluminous work path, in technical and legal terms, with a large and prestigious strategic investor which is universally known", writes Rama.
During her speech, Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku emphasized that the project worth 2 billion euros is a major economic project for Albania, which according to her will change the appearance of tourism not only for Albania, but also for the region. In this project, the Albanian state is a co-shareholder in 33%.
She also made known the difficulties of the negotiation due to the numerous demands from the Albanian government and emphasized that the state has the responsibility of protecting strategic assets.
"This is the final step of a long process. We went through all the right steps in a very long negotiation until the approval by the parliament and the decree of this law by the president. This is the biggest economic project that Albania has ever had. The Albanian state is a co-shareholder in a project worth 2 billion euros and will change the face of tourism not only for Albania but also for the region. Even the diaspora will be a residential unit in this new project. It was not easy to negotiate. In addition to an important project, we have a group prepared for other projects of this nature. The negotiation period is almost a year.
We have succeeded the best will prove that we have made the right choice. We had moments when both parties thought that it would not work because the demands of the Albanian state were numerous. But in this project the state is a 33% shareholder, it has the responsibility to protect the strategic assets such as the basin piers and the port channel. These remain state property, as does 45% of the current port, which will be cleaned and rehabilitated and returned to citizens. We will be able to enter that area that has been closed. It will be connected to two dry ports in North Macedonia and Kosovo and will have an impact on the economic development of the region". said Balluk.
The project of the tourist port of Durrës is considered by the opposition as a corrupt affair, where offshore companies are hiding behind it.
The project will be developed on a land area of 812,600 m2, since the investment, it will be owned by the companies. 12,000 apartments and 2 hotels with 850 rooms in total are planned. The project envisages 80,000 square meters of green spaces, or open spaces, and a beach length of 700 meters.
The first phase starts in 2023 and lasts for 5 years, with an investment value of €595 million, and for the second phase, which is expected to start in 2028, the investment is about 1.5 billion euros. The agreement has a lifespan of 35 years, while the total completion of the project takes 20 years. The Albanian government would benefit all the time 33.3% of the dividend.