The international community is ramping up engagement with Syria's new governing authorities, as its caretaker Prime Minister Mohammad al-Bashir admitted his country has very low foreign currency reserves.

German and French officials will meet representatives of Syria's new rulers in Damascus on Tuesday, expanding international contacts with the new administration after British diplomats met its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa late on Monday.

Nine days after Bashar al-Assad was ousted, countries are gradually opening channels to the new authorities in Damascus led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, although they continue to designate it a terrorist group.

Late on Monday, Sharaa, formerly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, met a British foreign ministry delegation. He stressed the need for the restoration of ties and lifting sanctions on Syria so that Syrian refugees can return home, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

Sharaa, whose group was part of al Qaeda until he broke ties in 2016, was pictured sitting in a suit with an open shirt during the meeting.

The images underline the geopolitical shift since Assad was toppled by HTS-led forces.

Sharaa "spoke about the need to build a state of law and institutions, and establishing security," SANA reported. "He also spoke about Britain's important role internationally."

Ahead of the meeting, UK foreign minister David Lammy said Britain had sent a delegation of senior UK officials "to Damascus this week for meetings with the new interim Syrian authorities and members of civil society groups in Syria."

A spokesperson for the German foreign ministry said Tuesday's talks would focus on a transitional process for Syria and the protection of minorities. French diplomats are also expected to visit Damascus later on Tuesday to meet HTS representatives.

The U.S. State Department said on Monday that the U.S. government has had more than one communication with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham over the past week.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday that Türkiye will "hold the key" to what happens in Syria, where rebels backed by Ankara toppled the government of Bashar al-Assad earlier this month.

Making his first comments on how he views the NATO ally's role in post-conflict Syria, Trump praised what he described as Türkiye's "major military force" that he said "has not been worn out with war."

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday the European Union should be ready to ease sanctions on Syria if the country's new leadership takes "positive steps" to establish an inclusive government and respect women's and minority rights.

UN Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher met Sharaa and Bashir on Monday to discuss scaling up humanitarian assistance in the country.

'Genuine and practical dialogue'

Following Fletcher's meeting, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement that he welcomed the caretaker government's commitment to protect civilians, including humanitarian workers.

"I also welcome their agreement to grant full humanitarian access through all border crossings; cut through bureaucracy over permits and visas for humanitarian workers; ensure the continuity of essential government services, including health and education; and engage in genuine and practical dialogue with the wider humanitarian community," Guterres said.

In its most recent comments on the situation, Beijing's foreign ministry said "China is closely following the situation in Syria and hopes that stability will return as soon as possible. The Chinese government has been actively helping Chinese nationals who wish to leave the country to do so in a safe and orderly way, and staying in contact with those Chinese still in Syria and offering them advice on how to stay safe."

Caretaker premier Bashir told Al Jazeera TV on Tuesday that Syria had very low foreign currency reserves. Current and former Syrian officials have told Reuters that the dollar reserves have been nearly depleted because Assad's government increasingly used them to fund food, fuel and its war effort.

The central bank's foreign exchange reserves amount to just around $200 million in cash, one of the sources told Reuters, while another said the U.S. dollar reserves were "in the hundreds of millions."