Published On 8/11/2025
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Last update: 08:55 (Mecca time)
Yesterday, Friday, the Serbian Parliament approved a draft law that paves the way for accelerating procedures for the demolition of the former headquarters of the Yugoslav army in central Belgrade, where a luxury hotel is expected to be built in its place, financed by an investment company linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, despite widespread public opposition and legal obstacles.
The construction of this military complex – which was partially destroyed in the NATO bombing that ended the Kosovo War in 1999 – dates back to the mid-20th century.
Serbian public opinion was divided over the project linked to Kushner’s Miami-based Affinity Partners, which seeks to develop the site and turn it into a high-rise hotel.
Affinity Partners signed an agreement with the Serbian government to invest in the site for 99 years, shortly after the Serbian government decided last year to revoke its protection status and remove its classification from the country’s “cultural assets.”
The project was halted last May when accusations emerged that a government official used forged documents to lift heritage protection for the building, and investigations are still ongoing.
However, a special law approved by the Serbian Parliament yesterday and published on its website gives urgency to the redevelopment of the site, which requires state institutions to issue the necessary permits and approvals without delay.
Broad opposition
After days of heated debate and street demonstrations by opponents of the site development plan, the bill won approval by 130 votes against 40 votes in the 250-vote parliament.
The special law, called Lex Specialis in Latin, allows authorities to advance work on the site, including the demolition of what remains of two sprawling buildings considered prime examples of mid-20th-century architecture in the former Yugoslavia.
While Serbia’s populist pro-Trump government says the project will boost the economy and relations with the current US administration, the plan has been met with fierce opposition from experts because of the building’s architectural significance, and because it is a symbol of resistance against the US-led NATO bombing, which was widely seen in Serbia as unjust “aggression”.
“A unique architectural and urban masterpiece stands before us,” said Milian Salata, an architect and member of the Society of Architects in Serbia, at a press conference held outside the building earlier this week, stressing that the building is safe and can be restored and preserved for public use and made into a memorial to the victims of NATO bombing.
On the other hand, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic – who hosted Kushner several times in Belgrade – expressed his personal support for the project.