In February this year, the Italian head of state said that the tragedy of victims that were killed and then thrown into the foibe, karst pits in Slovenia and Croatia, immediately after the Second World War, was the barbarity of the century and ascribed it to the "Slavic bloodthirsty wrath" and to aspirations for annexing territory.
Mesic responded that one could not but see elements of open racism, historical revisionism and political revenge-seeking in Napolitano's speech.
Disagreements from a few months ago are completely overcome, Napolitano said after meeting Mesic on Friday in Brno where a summit meeting of Central European countries was taking place.
When it comes to history, we have a clear common position, the Italian president said, adding that there was nothing that could create barriers in bilateral relations.
After meeting Napolitano on the margins of the Brno summit, President Mesic said that the chapter of the Second World War should be closed.
"Italy accepts all treaties we (Croatia) have inherited - the Osimo, Rome and Paris treaties, and Italy supports Croatia on its road towards the European Union. We could not ask for more than that," the Croatian president said.
He added that an initiative proposed by former Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, about a visit by the presidents of Italy, Slovenia and Croatia to sites of mass executions of the Second World War, had been supported again.
Earlier in the day, Mesic met Polish President Lech Kaczynski.
On Saturday, the final day of the Brno event, Mesic is to meet Slovak President Ivan Gasparevic on the fringes of the summit.