From D’Alema to Tony Blair, Rama’s reliance on influential Western figures fuels controversy.
TIRANA, Albania (Tirana Times, September 15,2025) — The Albanian government’s decision to hand over part of the Pashaliman naval base to an Italian developer under criminal investigation has widened into a broader debate about Prime Minister Edi Rama’s use of strategic land deals, lobbying networks, and transactional relationships with influential Western figures.
As reported by Kapitali.al, the Strategic Investment Committee approved the transfer of 25 hectares of state-owned land to Meta Resorts Albania, a company founded in 2021 by Italian entrepreneur Dante Mazzitelli. The planned “Pashaliman Laguna Eco Resort” would sit on terrain overlapping with active military infrastructure, including an electric substation serving the naval base, and on protected heritage zones encompassing the ancient city of Orikum and parts of the Karaburun nature reserve.
President Bajram Begaj cleared the way for the concession earlier this year through a decree quietly removing more than 70 hectares from the national defense plan. Former navy deputy commander Artur Meçollari has already filed complaints with SPAK, the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office, alleging improper partition of the base’s territory dating back nearly a decade.
Beyond legal and security concerns, the case has reignited speculation about Rama’s political alliances. Lapsi.al highlighted Mazzitelli’s personal ties to former Italian Prime Minister Massimo D’Alema, with past media reports showing the two vacationing together. While D’Alema has denied direct involvement, Italian newspaper Il Giornale reported this summer that his consultancy firm, DL&M Advisor, posted more than €1.5 million in profits in 2024, and that he holds shares in A&I Albania, a lobbying company registered in Tirana in 2023.
RAI 3’s investigative program Report previously revealed that D’Alema’s Albanian company operated out of the Palace of Culture in Tirana, with speculation linking it to cryptocurrency ventures. When pressed, Rama rejected claims that D’Alema was his lobbyist, calling him instead a “mentor.”
Still, a Western diplomat in Tirana, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the Pashaliman concession as part of a broader “transactional strategy” by Rama. “This is not about investment for Albania,” the diplomat said. “It’s about cultivating support among Western friends who can shield him internationally.”
Analysts echo that view, framing the deal as symptomatic of Rama’s governing style. “It’s a transactional approach,” said one political researcher. “The country does not benefit — Rama does.” Critics point to parallels with Rama’s past ties to former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who provided advisory services in Albania after leaving office, and with high-profile figures in international financial circles.
The controversy underscores recurring concerns about governance in Albania as it advances toward EU accession. Sensitive military land and cultural heritage zones being converted into private resorts, critics argue, sends troubling signals to Brussels about the strength of rule of law.
For Rama, however, such arrangements appear to reinforce his international profile. Support from well-connected Western figures — even when tied to controversial deals — has helped him navigate criticism at home and project himself abroad as a reform-minded leader.
The Pashaliman case, critics warn, crystallizes the cost of that approach: a transactional foreign policy where the benefits flow not to Albania as a whole, but to the political survival of its prime minister.
The controversy has heightened EU concerns over state capture in Albania — the idea that ruling elites repurpose public institutions and assets to entrench their power. Brussels has repeatedly flagged corruption and governance as obstacles to accession talks, and the Pashaliman affair may reinforce doubts about Tirana’s readiness.
For critics, the case has become symbolic: a stretch of coastline once reserved for submarines and cultural monuments transformed into private real estate — not to strengthen Albania’s path to Europe, but to secure the prime minister’s grip on power.
The post “Pashaliman Deal: Albania’s Transactional Politics and Western Patronage” appeared first on Tirana Times.
