A NORTH-EAST mayor flew to the Middle East to build links with a rich Arab state as part of plans to regenerate part of the North-East.
Middlesbrough's Mayor, Ray Mallon, has taken a team to Dubai to meet Arab sheikhs, princes and businessmen.
Mr Mallon hopes to attract investment from the oil-rich country to enhance the potential of the Middlehaven development in the town.
He hopes Middlesbrough can learn from Dubai, which has become one of the world's most prosperous economies since the 1970s.
Mr Mallon said: "The decisions of the next few years will determine whether Middlesbrough flourishes or goes into irreversible decline.
"The development potential of land such as Middlehaven means we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we must get it right. I can think of nowhere better to look, listen and learn than Dubai.
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