A tiny Albanian village that President George W. Bush visited in 2007 has unveiled a short-sleeved statue of him, in a square named for him.

The 2.85 m- (9.3 ft-) tall statue of the former president, raising his left hand in greeting, was unveiled on Wednesday in the square festooned with Albanian and American flags for the occasion.

"Albanians' pro-Americanism has its roots in our attempts... to build our deserved future as a free nation, as a free country," Prime Minister Sali Berisha told the crowd.

Bush was the first U.S. president to visit post-communist Albania, which is hoping to join the European Union.