WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is making the first state visit of his presidency next month, that he looks forward to receiving the Indian leader in Washington.

Obama also expressed concern over last week’s attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul in a telephone call to Manmohan Singh Saturday, returning a call from the prime minister to congratulate him on winning the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

“Late Saturday morning, President Obama returned Indian Prime Minister Singh’s phone call. Prime Minister Singh had called President Obama on Friday to congratulate him on having won the Nobel Peace Prize,” the White House said in a statement.

“The president also underscored his concern for the attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul and said that he looked forward to receiving the prime minister in Washington later this year,” the statement said.

“The president expressed his appreciation for the call and congratulations. He noted that he was humbled and grateful for having received the Nobel, and that he saw it as a call to collective action on shared challenges,” the statement said.

Obama and his wife Michelle will host Manmohan Singh for his first state dinner at the White House Nov 24, described as “…an important event” by his spokesman Robert Gibbs.

“I think it goes without saying that India is an important ally,” Gibbs told reporters Friday.

“And obviously we continue to be very engaged with the Indians to bring about peace in obviously an important region of the world,” he said.