Liberia, Sept. 28 -- By Rodney D Sieh

New York - Somewhere tonight, on a tanker crossing the Red Sea or a bulk carrier waiting off a Gulf port, there is a sailor who has not seen his family in months. The ship he works on may be owned in Greece, managed in Singapore and crewed from Mumbai. But there is a good chance the flag flying from its stern is Liberia's.

That quiet fact sits at the heart of a new diplomatic partnership launched Friday in New York. On the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Liberia's Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti and India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar unveiled the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers, known by the shorthand GoF ...