Outgoing Turkish President Abdullah Gul to return to AK Party

"This is only natural for me and I believe that Turkey will continue on its road," Gul told reporters Monday at a press conference at Cankaya Palace, the president's official Ankara residence. Gul said he would officially remain head of state until August 28. Gul was one of the founders of the AK Party together with President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who became the country's 12th president in Sunday's first-ever direct poll to pick the head of the Turkish state.