W

hen Indonesians hear of the Bata Shoes brand, most of the time they will automatically believe it is a local one, considering its long history here.

“Actually, Bata is a company with Czech roots,” Czech Ambassador to Indonesia Ivan Hotek explained, it having been founded by Tomas Bata in 1894 in Zlin.

Hotek on Tuesday said it was difficult to market Czech products “because we produce everything from simple things like toothpicks to nuclear reactors.”

He was speaking at the official residence of Hungarian Ambassador Judit Nemeth-Pach during a Visegrad Group (V4) media gathering. Also attending the event were Slovak Ambassador Michal Slivovik and Polish chargé d’affaires Igor Kaczmarczyk.

Ambassadors from the four-country grouping were showcasing products specific to each country to the media ahead of the annual Women’s International Club (WIC) Bazaar. The bazaar will be opened by Mufidah Kalla, the wife of Vice President Jusuf Kalla, in Hall B of the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) on Wednesday morning for invitees, while Thursday is the public day.

Nemeth-Pach said the region’s countries actually share a lot of similar products, with Hungary focusing on hand-painted porcelain, porcelain jewelry, baskets, ginger bread and embroidery.

Hotek said his country would display a special edition of Bata shoes together with jewelry, beer and spirits. Kaczmarczyk said the Polish stand would showcase vodka and jewelry made of amber.

Slivovik said his booth would present gingerbread, wine and ceramic goods with special paint and glazing, among other things.

Nemeth-Pach said the four countries were working together in the economic, political, cultural and heritage fields. “We are also working together in the education and higher education fields.”

The Visegrad group started when the rulers of Bohemia (now in the Czech Republic), Poland and Hungary met in 1335 at the walled Hungarian town. Following the fall of Soviet Communism in 1989, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland established the modern Visegrad Group on Feb. 15, 1991. The members become four after Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993. All joined the European Union on May 1, 2004.

Hotek said history showed the countries were peace loving.

“We will have a joint celebration in 2018 to commemerate the 100th anniversary of our nationhood,” he added, referring to the Czechoslovakian declaration of independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire in October 1918. “We are the future of Europe. We have also endured democratic transition,” she said, referring to the period when the members were satellites of the Soviet Union.