Holdings in Company

21 February 2011 AIM / PLUS Markets: AAU SHAREHOLDING Ariana Resources plc ("Ariana" or "the Company"), the gold exploration and development company focussed on Turkey, was informed today that following the purchase of 2,105,263 ordinary shares in Ariana via the Placing announced on 18 February 2011, Starvest plc is now the beneficial holder of 19,561,263 ordinary shares or 7.81% of the issued share capital. Contacts: Ariana Resources plc Tel: 020 7407 3616 Michael Spriggs, Chairman Kerim Sener, Managing Director Beaumont Cornish Limited Tel: 020 7628 3396 Roland Cornish Alexander David Securities Limited Tel: 020 7448 9820 Nick Bealer / David Scott Loeb Aron & Company Ltd Tel: 020 7628 1128 Jonathan Willis-Richards / Frank Lucas St Brides Media & Finance Ltd Tel: 020 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 Joint Venture with European Goldfields Limited in north-eastern Turkey. The Company's flagship assets are its Sindirgi and Tavsan gold projects.  Both projects 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. 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 atwww.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#1490936]