It's my understanding that Armenia has generally come off better than Azerbaijan in the conflict between the two countries. The major war between them resulted in a near total Armenian victory, and since then the Armenians have at the very least been able to hold their own

On paper, Armenia has significant disadvantages in this conflict. Both Azerbaijan's population and GDP are significantly larger than Armenia's. Armenia is also relatively isolated in a diplomatic sense, with Azerbaijan and its ally Turkey and friendly neighbor Iran nearly surrounding Armenia. Azerbaijan has more money and diplomatic access to modern weapon systems, while Armenia is still relying in large numbers on Soviet era equipment

Why was Armenia able to win such a major victory in the initial war with Azerbaijan, and how have they been able to maintain their strong position in the years since despite numerous on-paper disadvantages?