German President Horst Koehler pledged continuing support to Mozambique on welcoming President Armando Guebuza to Berlin with full military honours on Thursday, according to dpa. Mozambique was one of four countries that Germany was focusing on in economic cooperation and providing aid, Koehler said. He noted that the south-east African country faced a serious poverty problem, despite high rates of economic growth in recent years. "In particular small and medium businesses need more support," he said. According to the prereleased text of a speech the German president was to give at a state banquet later Thursday, Koehler expressed encouragement to German business to invest in Mozambique. On his first visit to Germany, Guebuza expressed thanks for Germany's support. "Mozambique will continue to fight poverty and is gaining from German assistance," he said. Guebuza is to join the presidents of Benin, Botswana and Nigeria at a three-day African conference convened by Koehler in the western German town of Eltville from Friday. Koehler visited Mozambique in early 2006.
