(MENAFN) Serbia’s parliament has passed legislation enabling a high-profile property project in Belgrade spearheaded by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The development, proposed by Kushner’s firm Affinity Partners, involves constructing a luxury hotel and apartment complex on the former Yugoslav Army headquarters site.

The building, heavily damaged during NATO’s 1999 bombing campaign against Serbia, holds symbolic significance for some as a memorial and a reminder of the conflict. Despite protests and legal challenges, President Aleksandar Vucic, who has cultivated strong ties with Trump, supported the project.

Last year, the government revoked the site’s protected status and agreed to a 99-year lease with Kushner’s firm for a $500 million development. The decision sparked public demonstrations and an investigation into possible forgery by Serbian officials in altering the building’s protected designation.

Vucic defended the plan, stating, “it's important to overcome the burden from 1999,” and emphasizing the importance of strengthening US-Serbia relations. On Friday, his party, holding a parliamentary majority, successfully pushed a special vote to clear the site.

Opposition figures have condemned the move as unconstitutional. Aleksandar Jovanovic criticized it as a “crime,” claiming the landmark would be replaced with “casinos and Jacuzzis,” while MP Marinika Tepic accused the government of sacrificing history “to please Trump.”

Architectural experts and anti-corruption group Transparency Serbia have also raised concerns about the state-backed development.

The approval comes amid Serbia’s balancing act between maintaining relations with both Washington and Moscow, following the country’s exposure to US tariffs and sanctions targeting Russian-linked interests, including its majority Russian-owned oil refinery, Nafna Industrika Srbije.

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