Commencement of Drilling Programme

Ariana Resources plc ("Ariana" or "the Company"), the gold exploration and development company focused on Turkey, is pleased to announce that it has initiated a follow-up drilling programme on the Red Rabbit Gold Project in western Turkey (“Red Rabbit” or “the Project”).  This drilling programme is being completed ahead of the Company’s Feasibility Study (“FS”) on the Project, which is itself scheduled for delivery towards the end of 2011, ahead of anticipated commencement of production in late 2012.

Highlights:

• Up to 4,000m of drilling planned on the Kiziltepe, Kepez West, Karakavak and Kizilcukur areas of the Red Rabbit Project Area

• Drilling programme has already commenced on the Fidan Vein at Kiziltepe

• Capability for exploration drilling on demand over the Company’s projects

Dr. Kerim Sener, Managing Director, commented:

“This drilling programme aims to better define mineralised structures across the Project area that may host open-pittable resources that would provide additional mill feed for the planned plant at Kiziltepe.  This is an exciting time for the Company, as we advance our feasibility study on Red Rabbit and continue to look for new resource growth opportunities in the region.  Having our own drilling team provides tremendous flexibility as we can mobilise to new areas at short notice which will be particularly advantageous in the event of the successful acquisition of new ground via auction.”

Drilling Programme

Ariana’s Turkish operating subsidiary, Galata Madencilik San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti., recently initiated a drilling programme across the Kiziltepe, Kepez West, Karakavak and Kizilcukur areas of its Red Rabbit project (Figure 1).  The programme is budgeted for up to 4,000m, with the majority of the circa 50 holes planned being drilled to depths of 50 to 100m.

The programme is projected to conclude towards the end of the first quarter of 2012, and is being conducted by Ariana’s drilling team.  The Company rig, a Sandvik DE-130, was recently retro-fitted on to caterpillar crawlers by Teksomak Drilling & Engineering in Turkey and now has full all-terrain functionality.  The small size of the rig and its manoeuvrability is a key advantage for the Company and decreases the environmental impact of drilling.

Most areas designated for drilling are already permitted, but forestry applications have been submitted to obtain permits at the Kizilcukur locality.  The programme has been initiated on a single shift per day although this is likely to be increased to a double shift later in the programme.

Support for the drilling programme is being provided under contract by Meridian Drilling Ltd. (www.meridiandrilling.co.uk), who are providing on-site technical assistance, training and logistical support.  Additional rig-specific technical support to the programme is being provided directly by Sandvik in Turkey.

Figure 1: Drilling on the Fidan Vein at Kiziltepe.  The Arzu South area is seen in the immediate background to the rig.

Contacts:

Editors’ note:

Dr Kerim Sener, BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD, is the Managing Director of Ariana Resources plc.  A graduate of the University of Southampton in Geology, he also holds a Master's degree from the Royal School of Mines (Imperial College, London) in Mineral Exploration and a doctorate from the University of Western Australia.  He is a Fellow of The Geological Society of London and has worked in geological research and mineral consultancy in Southern Africa and Australia.  He has read and approved the technical disclosure in this regulatory announcement.

About Ariana Resources

Ariana is an exploration and development company focused on epithermal gold-silver and porphyry copper-gold deposits in Turkey.  The Company is developing a portfolio of prospective licences selected on the basis of its in-house geological and remote-sensing database, on its own in western Turkey and in Joint Venture with European Goldfields Limited in north-eastern Turkey.  European Goldfields owns 51% of this joint venture and, as the operator, is fully funding all exploration work on the JV properties until delivery of a feasibility study.

The Company's flagship assets are its Sindirgi and Tavsan gold projects which form the Red Rabbit Gold Project.  Both contain a series of prospects, within two prolific mineralised districts in the Western Anatolian Volcanic and Extensional (WAVE) Province in western Turkey.  This Province hosts the largest operating gold mines in Turkey and remains highly prospective for new porphyry and epithermal deposits.  These core projects, which are separated by a distance of 75km, are presently being assessed as to their economic merits and now form part of a Joint Venture with Proccea Construction Co.  The total resource inventory of the Company stands at 448,000 ounces of gold equivalent.

Ariana also has a strategic investment in Tigris Resources Limited (www.tigrisresources.com), a private Jersey-based exploration company, which is focused on the exploration of copper and gold deposits in southeastern Turkey.  Ariana retains approximately 13% of Tigris Resources Limited.

Fairfax I.S. PLC are brokers to the Company and Beaumont Cornish Limited is the Company's Nominated Adviser.

For further information on Ariana you are invited to visit the Company's website at www.arianaresources.com.

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