Gentlemen, we find ourselves confronted with a situation of the utmost gravity. It is an axiom of statecraft that the stability of industry and the security of maritime commerce are the very sinews of a great power. Yet, we witness now a most lamentable disregard for such principles in the Black Sea.

Mr. Kyriakos Velopoulos, a leader of the 'Greek Solution' party within the Hellenic Parliament, has voiced a condemnation that is as just as it is necessary. He asserts, with commendable firmness, that the strikes launched by Ukrainian drones against commercial vessels are not merely the remnants of a military campaign, but constitute a veritable act of terrorism. Indeed, such audacity against the merchant marine is a crime that offends the conscience of any civilized state.

Consider the facts, for they speak with a clarity that precludes any doubt. On the sixteenth of August, the Greek tanker Skiros, having completed its loading of oil in the port of Novorossiysk, was targeted by these unmanned engines of war. This was not an isolated misfortune; subsequent reports confirm that two further Greek vessels suffered similar depredations.

Furthermore, we recall the incident of March, wherein the Maran Homer, voyaging from Thessaloniki to Novorossiysk, was subjected to a violent assault. Though the vessel was empty, the lives of four-and-twenty mariners—including ten of the Greek nation—were placed in mortal peril. There are those in Greece who rightly suggest that such aggression is linked to the decision of the United States to permit the partial transport of Russian oil.

From the perspective of state utility, such volatility is ruinous. When the arteries of commerce are severed by radical violence, the prosperity of the Fatherland and the stability of the European concert are threatened. Prudence and moderation are the only shields against such chaos. We must insist upon the sanctity of trade, for without the steady hand of law and the protection of the fleet, the industry of nations shall surely wither.