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The mayor of Bilbao made a trip to the city state of Singapore to pick up the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize. Dubbed the ''nobel prize for cities'', the Biscay capital becomes the first ever city to receive the honour which Azkuna described as "recognition for the effort of the past twenty years".

"Bilbao has changed and will continue to change," said the mayor. "The (Foundation) has clearly noticed this... and have recognized that the urban rejuvenation of Bilbao is an example to the rest of the world."

The Prize, awarded in recognition of ''Livability, Vibrancy, Sustainability and Quality of Life'', saw Bilbao compete with cities like Curitiba in Brazil and Melbourne.

During his interview with EITB, Azkuna said that while the council of Bilbao has been at the forefront of the city''s transformation, "the Basque and Central Governments, Biscay Provincial Council, Bilbao 2000 Society and, above all, the residents of Bilbao" had also been crucial to the process.

"Internationally-speaking, this is a good year for Bilbao," said the Mayor, referring to the city''s stadium in Shanghai for this year''s Expo:

"We''d like the Chinese to visit it and realize that Bilbao has undergone several transformations throughout its history... that are testament to its tenacity and dynamism."

"By the way," the Mayor joked at the end, fanning himself, "it''s cooler in Bilbao than here, no? A little bit anyway!"