Commencement of Drilling at Red Rabbit Gold Pro...

24 October 2011
AIM / PLUS Markets: AAU


                       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:

 Ariana Resources plc              Tel: [phone]

 Michael Spriggs, Chairman

 Kerim Sener, Managing Director



 Beaumont Cornish Limited          Tel: [phone]

 Roland Cornish / Felicity Geidt



 Fairfax I.S. PLC                  Tel: [phone]

 Ewan Leggat / Laura Littley



 St Brides Media & Finance Ltd     Tel: [phone]

 Hugo de Salis / Susie Geliher




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
atwww.arianaresources.com.

Ends





Figure 1: 


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Source: Ariana Resources plc via Thomson Reuters ONE

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