Piero Tozzi is the Staff Director of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.
His previous positions include Republican Staff Director of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and Staff Director and Counsel for the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.
He spoke at the celebration honoring May 18th, 2023, in the Washington DC, area about Somaliland’s case for recognition and the country’s political growth and maturity.
Excerpt of his speech
“As was mentioned I work on Capitol Hill on the congressional-executive commission on China that focuses on issues of human rights in China but also in Africa as well. And we just heard the need for international recognition which is very important. I visited your country/nation in December 2021, and when I was there I also had a chance to meet with some of the countries’ representatives among them was a delegation from the Taiwan Republic of China.
And why is this important? It’s important because there are shared democratic values which the people of Taiwan and the people of Somaliland have in a part of the world where there is not much democracy and no much respect for human rights.
And while we know the situation is not perfect, when you compare you see the progress Somaliland has made.
Unfortunately and because I focus on China, we know there is a lot of interest in China in the Horn region.
We know that the president of Eritrea was just in China. We know last year Wang Yi the foreign minister of China went to visit Eritrea. Already in Djibouti, there is a Chinese base. And then he went to Kenya, to Mombasa to visit the port there.
Alone is Berbera is a jewel right there, a very precious resource but we know that another of difficulty that we see right now, we know, I believe is because there a malicious Chinese influence there and they are trying to disrupt the peace that you have and the prosperity that you have in Somaliland.
It is very important that you recommit yourselves to elections and democracy because it is important that Somaliland stands for human rights, democracy, for free and fair elections in contrast to many countries.
And it’s important that you maintain your friendship with the people of Taiwan which is also a believer of democracy that face many of the same threats.
I just conclude that I want to congratulate you again on your May 18th holiday and congratulate you for the progress that you have made.
And we look forward for many years ahead and with the hope of one day there will be recognition of Somaliland.”
ABOUT Piero Tozzi
Piero Tozzi is the Staff Director of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. His previous positions include Republican Staff Director of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and Staff Director and Counsel for the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.
Tozzi received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and his B.A. from Columbia University.
Tozzi speaks Mandarin Chinese and is the author of several works on international law and comparative constitutional law, including Constitutional Reform on Taiwan: Fulfilling a Chinese Notion of Democratic Sovereignty.
ABOUT CONGRESSIONAL STAFFERS
In the American political establishment and the corridors of Capital Hill, having a staunch supporter of this caliber is extremely significant and greatly advances the Somaliland case.
Congressional staffers play a critical role in shaping American politics.
Staff members of the US Congress are essential to American politics. They are in charge of helping members of Congress with their legislative and executive responsibilities. In order to help members of Congress make informed judgments, Congressional staffers are responsible for conducting research on a variety of legislative problems:
Drafting laws on behalf of Congressmen and assisting them with the legislative procedure.
Giving Congress members sound political counsel, including guidance on how to promote both domestic and foreign causes and deal with political challenges.
