A group of 13 representing the Moldovan National Army’s medical corps has left for Split, Croatia, to take part in MEDCEUR 2008 - an “in the spirit of partnership for peace” regional/multilateral medical training exercise, held during May 1-14, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to Lt.Col. Vadim Chicu, chief of the medical corps of the Moldovan Army Staff, the exercise features a scenario in which medical and support personnel will be simulating a joint mobilization in response to a natural disaster. The exercise provides training and operational experience to personnel. It also validates the readiness status of the surgical response team through Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Response and/or Foreign Consequence Management functional plans. Collateral benefits include interchange of medical information and techniques with partner-nation medical personnel. The exercise brings together some 320 military staff from Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, USA and the Ukraine. Last year’s MEDCEUR was hosted by Moldova; about 400 combat medics from 13 countries joined the disaster-relief exercises held at Bulboaca training ground.