Avrupa Minerals raises $500,000 in private placement

    VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – June 17, 2026 – TheNewswire - Avrupa Minerals Ltd. (TSXV:AVU) (“Avrupa” or the “Company”) announces a $500,000 private placement of Units.  The proceeds of the private placement financing will be used to fund exploration at its copper-focused projects in Finland, ongoing operations in Portugal, and for working capital. Avrupa also holds the Slivova Gold Project in Kosovo which is currently under option to a third party who manages and funds the project.   Private Placement   Subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the “Exchange”), the Company intends to raise $500,000 by way of a non-brokered private placement offering (the “Offering”) by issuing 10 million units (each, a “Unit”) at a price of $0.05.   Each Unit will be comprised of one common share of the Company and one half-common share purchase warrant (each, a “Warrant”).  Each full Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one additional common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.10 per common share, for a period of 36 months from the date of closing of the Offering.  Finders' fees of 7.5% in cash will be paid to eligible parties.   Closing of the Offering is subject to all applicable regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Exchange.  All securities are subject to a hold period of four months and one day in accordance with applicable securities laws.   Recent Developments   Avrupa recently announced the completion of the initial Mineral Resource Estimate (“MRE”) for its Sesmarias Project in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (“IPB”) of Portugal. The Company discovered copper/zinc mineralization in 2014 and has been advancing exploration, mostly funded by various partners, since that time.   The Sesmarias MRE is the second one completed by Avrupa, with the first being for its discovery of the Slivova Gold/Silver Project, currently optioned out to a partner.   Portugal has a long history of copper mining, at least since Roman times, in its portion of the IPB which stretches over 250 kilometers from near Lisbon, Portugal to beyond Seville, Spain.  The total IPB is known to contain more than 80 volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits, seven of which presently host active mining operations, including two in Portugal and five in Spain.   In addition, Avrupa , through its partnership entity in Finland, Akkerman Finland Oy (“AFOy”), recently advanced its volcanogenic massive sulphide exploration program in the Pyhäsalmi mining district in central Finland by acquiring the Lehto and Lippikylä exploration permits from First Quantum Minerals (“FQM”) and subsidiaries.  The projects are located immediately adjacent to the Pyhäsalmi Mine (“PMO”) license, less than two kilometres from the headframe, and cover potential east and south extensions, respectively, of the known mineral horizon at the mine.  The property acquisitions include all available historic data related to the exploration permits.  Review of the data, along with discussion between AFOy and FQM/PMO, suggests at least five drill-ready targets: two on the Lehto permit and three on the Lippikylä permit.