MOSCOW. – Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot settle the Nagorno-Karabakh issue without Russia, Russian presidential candidate, head of Liberal-Democratic Party Vladimir Zhirinovsky told Azerbaijani APA Agency.

In response to the question how Russian-Azerbaijani relation will be develop if he is elected Russian President, Zhirinovsky said that he would propose Azerbaijan and Armenia to join Russia as a Trans-Caucasian Federal Region.

“Governorship of this federal region should be given to Azerbaijan because of population size, but the deputy governor can be elected among the Armenians,” he believes. “If Azerbaijan and Armenia do not accept this proposal, we will recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh as we recognized independence of the South Ossetia and Abkhazia.”

Commenting on the French Senate’s bill adoption on criminalizing denial of the Armenian Genocide, Zhirinivsky said that he accepts it positively. According to him, Russia does not like to irritate Azerbaijan and Armenia by an initiative of adopting similar law.

“Live as you wish. You were living in the Soviet Union better, but started to fight when you left it,” he reminded adding only Russia can settle this problem. “I do not like the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The OSCE Minsk Group, France and other will never assist the settlement of the problem. We cannot leave Armenia alone as Turkey threatens us directly.”