New statue of Tony Blair in Kosovo town honours ‘Tonibler’ cult

As sculptor Agon Qosa put some of the finishing touches to a statue of Tony Blair, he thought about what the former British prime minister had done for Kosovo a quarter of a century ago.

Mr Qosa and other ethnic Albanians in Kosovo idolise the former British prime minister for his leadership role during a Nato bombing campaign in 1999 that halted Serb forces’ advances and ultimately helped the small Balkan nation win independence.

Twenty-five years on, he is completing a life-size clay statue of Mr Blair that will be cast in bronze and placed on Blair Boulevard in the eastern town of Ferizaj on 12 June, which marks the end of the 1998-99 Kosovo war.