00:00When will your government stop sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan?
00:03A terrorist country is asking me that question.
00:06They are approved.
00:07Come on.
00:08Good morning to all of you.
00:10I'm joined by my sister, the foreign minister of Liberia, Sarah Biaslav Nyanti,
00:17to brief you all about a new initiative led by our two nations.
00:23This is the group of friends on the safety and security of shipping and seafarers.
00:30Now, you would all be aware that in recent months,
00:34the world has seen unacceptable attacks on commercial shipping and merchant marinas.
00:41They are legally and morally indefensible.
00:46These have occurred from the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf to the Red Sea and the Black Sea.
00:54We believe that there can be no justification for such violence and loss of lives.
01:01Put simply, these attacks must stop.
01:05As a major source country for seafarers, India has joined hands with Liberia,
01:11which hosts the largest shipping registry by tonnage on this matter.
01:15We have brought together other states with similar interests,
01:20as well as those who are major ship owners.
01:23Our first meeting of the group of friends was, I believe, attended by 25 countries.
01:32Now, this initiative is an endeavor to draw greater global attention to issues pertaining to the seafarers
01:39and the commercial shipping industry.
01:42Nearly 2 million seafarers operate the world's merchant fleet,
01:46often navigating choppy waters, both literally and metaphorically.
01:51Recent global developments underlying the threats posed to the safety and security of seafarers,
01:57including prolonged confinement on board, delayed crew changes and repatriation,
02:03separation from families, psychological distress,
02:07quite apart from the physical attacks that many of them have been subjected to.
02:12Now, you will all appreciate that the significance of this initiative,
02:16if you recall that maritime shipping accounts for four-fifths of the global trade.
02:22And that trade, I remind you, was $35 trillion last year.
02:29This group, which we have started today, will be an inclusive, voluntary, and action-oriented platform
02:37aimed at deepening cooperation among member states and other stakeholders.
02:42It will promote exchange of views, sharing of experiences, practical cooperation.
02:47It will complement and strengthen the existing international frameworks, mandates, and instruments in these areas.
02:54And the discussions and deliberations in the group will focus on issues of importance
02:58with regard to shipping and seafarers.
03:01Members of the group will join hands to highlight and advance this issue
03:06in various formats, plurilateral and multilateral, including the UN,
03:10and most importantly, the IMO, the ILO, and others as necessary.
03:16Overall, effort would be made to strengthen the collective voice of the group
03:20to further issues of common interest.
03:23India and Liberia will serve as co-chairs of the group.
03:27We have had, really, a very, very productive session this morning.
03:32We will meet regularly and hope to build on that as we move forward.
03:37And we agreed that the detailing of this initiative would be done in a consultative manner
03:46based on the inputs and views that we heard today.
03:50Friends, the world is today beset by conflicts and confrontation.
03:55These are threatening the basic needs of the international community,
03:59including food, fuel, fertilizer, and finance, the four Fs.
04:05Our initiative is meant to add to the factors of stability and confidence
04:11in what is otherwise an uncertain and turbulent world
04:14and to signal that the international community
04:18cannot just be a spectator or, indeed, a victim of violence.
04:24We are hopeful that it will make some difference.
04:27I thank you for joining us today,
04:29and I would request my colleague to make her remarks.
04:40Excellency, Excellency Minister of Foreign Affairs,
04:44Jaishankar, my brother and friend,
04:47and to all excellencies and members of the press, esteemed colleagues,
04:51thank you for joining this press stakeout.
04:54I'm proud to address you today as we jointly announced
04:57a landmark diplomatic and maritime achievement.
05:00The official launch of the Group of Friends for Safety, Security of Shipping and Seafarers
05:07established jointly by the Republic of Liberia and the Republic of India.
05:14Over 80% of the goods that power, feed, and heal our world moves by sea.
05:19The global economy does not run on abstract figures.
05:23It moves on water.
05:25Yet, today, commercial shipping operates under compounding pressures,
05:30shifting geopolitical friction, escalating threats to transit corridors,
05:35and persistent gaps in maritime safety and labor standards.
05:40Liberia and India represent two indispensable pillars of international maritime architecture.
05:46Liberia representing the largest registry by gross tonnage,
05:50and India representing the country with the largest number of seafarers.
05:54Together, we are the picture of what goes across our waters every day and night.
05:59When Liberia's regulatory reach meets India's maritime workforce,
06:04our shared responsibility to the global commons become undeniable.
06:10The Group of Friends unites our nations around three non-negotiable imperatives.
06:16First and foremost is safety, demanding uncompromising technical standards,
06:21stringent vessel compliance, and coordinating environmental stewardship
06:26to prevent loss of life and marine degradation.
06:29Secondly, security of shipping itself, defending commercial sea lanes
06:34against piracy, armed attacks, regional instability,
06:37and asymmetric threats that are changing every day.
06:41Thirdly, seafarers.
06:43Centering the human beings who keep our world running.
06:47Seafarers must never be treated as expendable cargo
06:50that can just be dumped over the sea and thrown into unforgetfulness.
06:59We are joining hands to address crew abandonment,
07:01uphold fair labor standards, ensure rapid medical assistance,
07:04and protect crews transiting conflict corridors.
07:08Let me emphasize that the Group of Friends is not a symbolic gesture.
07:11It's an action-driven multilateral coalition
07:14within the framework of the International Maritime Organization
07:17and the International Labor Organization.
07:19We're not here to duplicate, we're here to complement.
07:22We intend to use our collective weight to shape maritime policy,
07:27raise operational standards, and safeguard the men and women at sea.
07:32On behalf of His Excellency President Joseph Newman Boyka Sr.
07:35and the people of Liberia, and in collaboration with the Liberia Maritime Authority,
07:41led by Commissioner General Nito Lai and his team,
07:45and in collaboration with all of our partners domestically,
07:48we will consult internationally, we will consult,
07:51and we'll ensure that together we work to ensure that our waters remain safe corridors,
07:58our waters remain safe passage for goods,
08:00our waters remain safe to ensure that our domestic revenue generation is safeguarded,
08:06our communities are safeguarded, and our people are protected.
08:11Thank you, ministers.
08:28A terrorist country is asking me that question?
08:33Come on.
08:34Pakistan has presented a law here to the UN.
08:37They are proof that your government is sponsoring Taliban in Afghanistan.
08:42They are involved in killing of thousands of innocent...
