This year's Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded to China's most prominent dissident, Liu Xiaobo. The ceremony will be attended by all EU member states.

"We are disappointed, we are concerned about this line of action," said Angela Filote, spokeswoman for EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele.

Filote was asked to comment on Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic's statement that Belgrade would not be represented at the event in Oslo Friday to honour the 2010 laureate, the jailed Chinese dissident.

"We give great weight to our bilateral ties with China. All our decisions are linked to our national interests," Jeremic told reporters.

"We would expect a country that has aspirations to join the EU to fully share the values of the EU ... and coordinate its position with our member states," Filote said commenting on Jeremic's statement.

Filote said that Fuele was due to meet Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic on Thursday and "this issue might be raised."

Dissatisfied with the decision to give the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo, China urged other countries to stay away from the ceremony and warned of "consequences" for those who support the pro-democracy activist.

In addition to China and Serbia, the list of countries boycotting the event comprises Russia, Kazakhstan, Colombia, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Venezuela, the Philippines, Egypt, Sudan, Ukraine, Cuba and Morocco.