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: [phone]

 Michael Spriggs, Chairman

 Kerim Sener, Managing Director



 Beaumont Cornish Limited                 Tel: [phone]

 Roland Cornish/Felicity Geidt



 Alexander David Securities Limited       Tel: [phone]

 David Scott



 Loeb Aron & Company Ltd                  Tel: [phone]

 Jonathan Willis-Richards / Frank Lucas



 St Brides Media & Finance Ltd            Tel: [phone]

 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








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Source: Ariana Resources plc via Thomson Reuters ONE

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