Serbia has joined a group of 18 states spearheaded by China that will boycott this year's Nobel Peace Prize ceremony for Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.

The Dec. 10 award gala will not be attended by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Columbia, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Serbia, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Venezuela, the Philippines, Egypt, Sudan, Ukraine, Cuba or Morocco.

European Parliamentary rapporteur for Serbia Jelko Kacin said that he was shocked by Serbia's decision to sit out the ceremony, adding that Serbia had previously shown a commitment to leading "a principled policy in relationship to the issue of human rights."

Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic explained that although Serbia was very concerned about the issue of human rights it was also extremely concerned about its relations with China.

"Serbia pays extraordinary attention to the question of bilateral relations with China. All of our decisions have to do with achieving our national interests. China is one of Serbia's most important bilateral partners," Jeremic told reporters in Belgrade.