00:00The protests against the tourism projects in Zvernets and Sazan Island have sparked more than just a political and environmental
00:07debate.
00:08This has turned into a high-stakes diplomatic standoff between Albania and Iran.
00:13As thousands of people take to the streets to protest these projects backed by Jared Kushner's company,
00:19Prime Minister Edirama declares that part of the online campaign and narrative fueling these protests is actually a hybrid war
00:27against Albania.
00:28The Prime Minister is linking this campaign to actors, he says, want Albania where it hurts most.
00:34He specifically pointed to Iran, a country Albania has had a deep diplomatic dispute with for years following major cyber
00:41attacks on Albania's state institutions.
00:44But Tehran's accusations were immediately countered by Tehran.
00:47The spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Baghe, rejected the statements of the Albanian Prime Minister, characterizing
00:55them as baseless.
00:56In his public reaction, Baghe mocked the accusations of a hybrid war and asked Rama to respect the judgment of
01:04the Albanian citizens,
01:05arguing that the protests are the result of an internal grievance and not Iranian influence.
01:11Are we dealing with a civic protest that is being exploited by external actors or a genuine operation?
01:16For this, Euronews spoke with Christopher Highland, an American security and diplomacy expert.
01:22There are concerns about conservation, yes, but to morph that into Albania only for Albanians,
01:30to morph that into no investment in Albania, and to begin criticizing and acting in a prejudicial way
01:38against the religions of individuals who are partners in a $4 billion investment in Albania is exceedingly dangerous.
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