ROBERT HEYAT
Sovereign Grand Commander, Supreme Council for Azerbaijan
Past Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Washington DC
Past Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Azerbaijan
As you know, Azerbaijan which was part of Iran until 19th century, it was lost to Russia in a war and became part of the Soviet Union for over 70 years. In 1990, when Communism collapsed in Russia, it became independent. Azerbaijan is a Shiite Moslem country with Armenian and Jewish minorities and as a result the establishment of regular Freemasonry there has been very sensitive, challenging and hard, politically and with respect to religious and historical background.
I, being an Azeri, and as PGM and Chairman of the International Relations, and following the formation of many universal lodges in the Grand Lodge of Washington DC, in 2001, I consecrated the Lodge Azerbaijan in Washington DC with the purpose of establishing Freemasonry in Azerbaijan. One year later, I established the Lodge Drugba in Moscow under the Grand Lodge of Russia and the Lodge Khazar in Istanbul under the Grand Lodge of Turkey. After 8 years of preparation, the National Grand Lodge of Azerbaijan was consecrated in Baku Azerbaijan.
Following the consecration of the Grand Lodge, our next goal was to establish the Supreme Council of Scottish Rite in Azerbaijan. To achieve this goal, and as one of the founders of the Grand Lodge and Supreme Council for Romania, I signed a concordant with the Supreme Council for Romania to initiate Azeri Brethren to Scottish rite degrees until such time that we had enough members of 33rd. and other degrees to consecrate the Supreme Council for Azerbaijan. I should mention that all Azeri Brethren who were going to get initiated into the Scottish Rite of Romanian, had affiliated to the National Grand Lodge of Romania.
This process took nine years, and in 2017 we had enough members of 33rd and other Scottish Rite degrees, ready to establish the Supreme Council of Scottish Rite for Azerbaijan. The date was set for July 8, 2017 and the Supreme Council was consecrated by Supreme Council for Romania as principal consecrator and the following Supreme Councils of Portugal, Greece, Turkey, and Russia were the co-consecrators.
I want to extend my sincere and Fraternal thanks to these Supreme Councils and in particular the Supreme Council for Romania, who has helped us in every step and made this historic unique event to happen with five Regular Supreme Councils consecrating the new Supreme Council for Azerbaijan.
