Issue of Options

22 March 2011 AIM / PLUS Markets: AAU ISSUE OF OPTIONS The Board of Ariana Resources plc ("Ariana" or "the Company"), the gold exploration and development company focused on Turkey, is pleased to announce the issue of options at £0.05 each over the ordinary shares in the Company ("the Options") to Directors as set out below, and to key staff.   The Options have a term of seven years and expire on 21 March 2018. +---------------------+-------------------+----------------------+ |   | Number of Options | Total Exercise Value | +---------------------+-------------------+----------------------+ | Directors |   |   | +---------------------+-------------------+----------------------+ | Michael Spriggs | 1,500,000 | £75,000 | +---------------------+-------------------+----------------------+ | Kerim Sener | 5,000,000 | £250,000 | +---------------------+-------------------+----------------------+ | Michael de Villiers | 3,000,000 | £150,000 | +---------------------+-------------------+----------------------+ | William Payne | 1,500,000 | £75,000 | +---------------------+-------------------+----------------------+ |   |   |   | +---------------------+-------------------+----------------------+ |   |   |   | +---------------------+-------------------+----------------------+ |   |   |   | +---------------------+-------------------+----------------------+ |   |   |   | +---------------------+-------------------+----------------------+ |   |   |   | +---------------------+-------------------+----------------------+ |   |   |   | +---------------------+-------------------+----------------------+ |   |   |   | +---------------------+-------------------+----------------------+ |   |   |   | +---------------------+-------------------+----------------------+ |   |   |   | +---------------------+-------------------+----------------------+ In addition, the Board have issued a total of 1,500,000 Options to key staff, representing a total exercise value of £75,000. Contacts: Ariana Resources plc Tel: +44 (0) 20 7407 3616 Michael Spriggs, Chairman Kerim Sener, Managing Director Beaumont Cornish Limited Tel: +44 (0) 20 7628 3396 Roland Cornish/Felicity Geidt Alexander David Securities Limited Tel: +44 (0) 20 7448 9820 David Scott Loeb Aron & Company Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 20 7628 1128 Jonathan Willis-Richards / Frank Lucas St Brides Media & Finance Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 20 7236 1177 Hugo de Salis Susie Geliher Editors' note: 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 exploring 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 a 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 asset is the Red Rabbit project, which contains the Kiziltepe and Tavsan sectors.  The project contains 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.  The Kiziltepe and Tavsan sectors, 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 15% of Tigris Resources Limited. Loeb Aron & Company Ltd. and Alexander David Securities Limited are joint 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. Ends This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that: (i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and (ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: Ariana Resources plc via Thomson Reuters ONE [HUG#1499191]