Trial Production from Kiziltepe Commences

5 March 2009
AIM / PLUS Markets: AAU

              TRIAL PRODUCTION FROM KIZILTEPE COMMENCES

Ariana Resources  plc  ("the  Company"),  the  gold  exploration  and
development company focused  on Turkey,  is pleased  to announce  the
completion of an agreement with Eti Gümüs AS. ("Eti") to process  ore
from the Company's Kiziltepe deposit  on a trial basis.  Ariana  will
receive, through its operating subsidiary, Galata Madencilik San.  ve
Tic. Ltd. ("Galata"), an up-front signing fee from Eti of US$  10,000
which will be deducted from proceeds  once the first 1,000 tonnes  of
ore has been processed.

The initial agreement with Eti  entails a large-scale (5,000  tonnes)
process trial of Kiziltepe ore  using the Gümüsköy processing  plant,
owned by  Eti and  located in  Kütahya Province  in western  Turkey.
Ahead of  the  agreement  detailed below,  the  Company  undertook  a
smaller test-run of some  25 tonnes of ore  through this plant,  from
which very  good recoveries  of  between 82.3%  and 89.7%  gold  were
achieved.

Dr. Kerim Sener, Managing Director, commented:

"This event marks  the dawn of  a new era  for Ariana Resources.   We
have successfully made  the transition from  explorer to a  committed
developer of  gold  resources in  Turkey.   In partnership  with  Eti
Gümüs, we  have now  followed through  with our  resolve to  see  the
resource at Kiziltepe mined.

"This achievement represents the  natural evolution of our  long-term
strategy and  takes us  one step  closer  to our  aim of  becoming  a
significant gold producer  in Turkey.  This  success also  highlights
the determination of our management team to maximise the value of our
resources, despite  the  difficult  conditions faced  by  all  junior
companies.

"We are particularly proud of the solidarity and effort our team  has
shown to bring about this achievement.  It is through their sense  of
purpose and commitment,  and indeed that  of our loyal  shareholders,
that we  have achieved  this milestone.   We thank  and  congratulate
them.  We also look forward to working with our partners, Eti  Gümüs,
to make this trial a success, for both companies."

Details of Trial

Ariana will be  responsible for mining  and trucking the  ore to  the
Gümüsköy plant,  130km to  the east  of Kiziltepe.   All permits  and
rights have been secured  for mining operations  to commence, and  an
initial pit-design/mining  plan has  been  completed jointly  by  the
company's Mining  Engineer  and  Project  Manager;  individuals  with
extensive mine operational backgrounds in Turkey.

Within one month, the Company expects to extract 5,000 tonnes of  ore
from the  Arzu South  vein of  the Kiziltepe  deposit.  Ore  will  be
stocked and sampled  at Kiziltepe in  the first instance.   Following
receipt of  grade control  data, any  ore  over 4.5  g/t Au  will  be
transported by road to the  Gümüsköy plant for processing.  Eti  will
review mining progress at Kiziltepe on a periodic basis.

Formal quotes have  been received by  Galata for drilling,  blasting,
general mining operations  and transportation.  Following  completion
of the agreement,  contracts for  mining and  transportation will  be
finalised with the  relevant contractors, and  mining operations  are
expected to  commence  within  15  days.  The  initial  pit  will  be
approximately 100m long and optimised for the recovery of  high-grade
ore.

Over a period of 45 days after receiving the first batch of ore  from
Kiziltepe, Eti will  be responsible  for processing the  ore and  all
analytical costs associated with process grade control.  Galata  will
undertake periodic quality control of Eti process analytical  results
by supplying control samples to their laboratory.

Eti will feed the  Kiziltepe gold-silver ore in  to their plant at  a
measured rate, along with  silver ore from  their Gümüsköy mine;  any
gold recovered will be attributable to Kiziltepe.  Ariana will review
progress at  Gümüsköy on  a periodic  basis while  the processing  is
underway and will send to site  a metallurgist to review Eti  process
data and controls.

Gold produced from  the operation will  be divided on  a 50-50  basis
between the parties.  Expected recovery of gold will be 85%, in  line
with the earlier test results detailed above.  Silver recoveries will
be considerably lower, as the silver grade of ore supplied to Eti  is
considered marginal for processing and, in any case, the Company  has
agreed that any silver  obtained from the plant  will be retained  by
Eti.  Gold retained by  Ariana will be refined  at the Istanbul  Gold
Refinery or a suitable alternative.

If this trial operation is deemed successful by both parties,  Galata
and Eti have  determined to  discuss a  processing arrangement  which
would be governed by a new agreement.

About Eti Gümüs A.S.

Eti Gümüs A.S. owns and operates the Gümüsköy silver mine in  Kütahya
Province, western Turkey.  It is currently the largest silver mine in
Europe and has been operational since 1987.  The process plant has  a
designed annual throughput  rate of  1,000,000 tonnes  per annum  and
produces a  maximum of  122  tonnes of  silver  per annum  using  the
Merrill-Crowe system; a process for separating silver and gold  where
high Ag:Au ratios prevent the use of carbon as an effective  recovery
technique.  The  company's production  meets  45% of  annual  Turkish
silver demand

Contacts:


Ariana Resources plc               Tel: [phone]
Michael Spriggs, Chairman
Kerim Sener, Managing Director

Beaumont Cornish Limited           Tel: [phone]
Roland Cornish

Lothbury Financial                 Tel: [phone]
Michael Padley / Louise Davis

Alexander David Securities Limited Tel: [phone]
Nick Bealer / David Scott

Loeb Aron & Company Ltd            Tel: [phone]
Peter Freeman / Frank Lucas


Editors' note:

About the Kiziltepe Deposit

The  Kiziltepe  deposit  is  located  within  a  ten-year   renewable
operating licence  that  forms  part  of  the  Company's  100%  owned
Sindirgi Gold  Project in  Balikesir Province,  western Turkey.   The
current JORC resource of 186,000 ounces gold equivalent is  contained
within the Arzu South, Arzu North, Banu and Derya veins.

Kiziltepe lies approximately 130km west of the Gümüsköy silver  mine,
100km east of the one million ounce vein-hosted Ovacik gold mine  and
115km northwest of  the five  million ounce Kisladag  gold mine.  The
deposit hosts  over  20km in  strike  length of  gold-silver  bearing
low-sulphidation epithermal quartz veins across  an area of at  least
3km by 1km. Individual  veins are exposed for  up to 750m and  widths
vary between 1m and 14m. The  main veins trend northwest, dip to  the
northeast and are hosted within Miocene age dacitic volcanic rocks.

Ariana  acquired  the  Sindirgi  Gold  Project  from  Newmont  Mining
Corporation (NYSE & ASX: NEM; TSX: NMC) in March 2005.  Franco-Nevada
Corporation retains the right  to a royalty of  up to 2.5% on  future
gold production from the Sindirgi Gold Project.

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.  The  total  resource
inventory  of  the   Company  stands  at   401,000  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 at www.arianaresources.com.

Ends

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