Turkey secures $1.62 billion concession for two Salvadoran ports amid expanding Latin American push

Yıldırım Holding’s subsidiary Yilport secured a 50-year, $1.62 billion agreement to modernise and jointly operate the Acajutla and La Union ports in El Salvador, the largest private investment in the nation’s history. The plan aims to increase Acajutla’s throughput threefold and bring the dormant La Union facility back into service, adding to Yilport’s existing terminals in Ecuador’s Puerto Bolivar, Peru’s Paita and Guatemala’s Puerto Quetzal.

Turkey’s commercial reach in Latin America now totals about $1.3 billion in assets, complemented by $1.6 billion in construction projects and a surge in bilateral trade to over $14 billion. Beyond ports, Turkish firms operate floating power plants in Cuba, sell defense equipment across the region, and maintain a network of twenty embassies. The piece highlights historic Ottoman migration, noting that descendants of early “Los Turcos” include leaders such as Nayib Bukele and cultural figures like Shakira, which Turkey leverages through its Directorate of Turks Abroad. Analysts warn that Turkish control of key maritime nodes could expose U.S. supply chains to intelligence gathering, urging the Coast Guard, Congress and the State Department to counter the growing influence.