Russian-Armenian relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin is considering the issue that visa-free access to the Russian Federation will be granted only to citizens belonging to countries that are members of the Customs Union, whereas the rest of the people would be entering Russia under ordinary regulations. Armenian analysts think that this is an attempt to blackmail Armenia, as Russia is desperately trying to force Armenia to join the union. So this kind of situation is a step targeted at Armenia’s unification in the Customs Union. It is known that a lot of Armenian citizens travel and work in Russia to earn some money and maintain their families in Armenia. However, Armenia has been reluctant about joining the union so far, as it wants to benefit by certain advantages offered by the European Union (EU). Presumably Armenia cannot become a member of the Customs Union and enjoy the privileges of the EU if it becomes a member of the Customs Union.