President Nikos Christodoulides on Sunday night condemned a “heinous” suicide bombing which occurred at the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox church in the Syrian capital of Damascus.

“I express my profound shock and unequivocal condemnation of the heinous terrorist attack on the holy church of Mar Elias in Damascus,” he wrote in a post on social media, describing the incident as “a criminal act by radical extremist elements, with a tragic toll of innocent victims within a place of worship”.

“Syria’s Orthodox Christian community forms an integral part of the region’s history and culture and has been severely impacted during the country’s civil war. The protection of places of worship and the defence of religious freedom are fundamental obligations for the international community,” he said.

He added that he has instructed the head of Cyprus’ diplomatic mission in Syria, Michalis Hadjikyriakou, to “immediately visit the site of the tragedy, expressing our solidarity and support for the Orthodox community and the families of the victims”.

“We are closely monitoring the developments and reaffirm our steadfast support for all religious communities suffering from extremism and violence,” he said.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns” the attack, going on to describe it as “a tragic reminder of the ongoing threat posed by radical extremist violence against civilians and religious communities in Syria”.

Greece’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, wrote that “religious sites must never be targets for terror”, and that “everyone has the right to practice their faith in complete peace and safety”.

“We demand that the Syrian transitional authorities take immediate action to hold those involved accountable and implement measures to guarantee the safety of Christian communities and all religious groups, allowing them to live without fear,” it added.

Turkey’s foreign ministry also released a statement, writing that “this attack targets efforts to establish stability and security in Syria, and aims to disrupt social peace and tranquillity”.

“We have full confidence that the Syrian administration and people will maintain their unity and solidarity and will resolutely continue to fight against terrorist organisations which want to create chaos in the country,” it added.

News agency Reuters reported that at least 20 people were killed in the attack, which was the first suicide bombing in Damascus since Syria’s former leader Bashar al-Assad was overthrown last December.

In addition, it was reported that 52 people were injured in the attack.

Syria’s interior ministry said the suicide bomber was a member of the Islamic State, and that he had entered the church and opened fire, before detonating an explosive vest.