Syria’s new interim Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said Wednesday that he planned to bring back millions of Syrian refugees and provide all citizens with basic services, but he conceded that it would be difficult due to the country's foreign currency shortage.

The interim prime minister announced in a short televised address on Tuesday that he would oversee Syria’s power transition after Bashar Al-Assad’s regime was toppled by a rebel uprising over the weekend. The former president fled to Russia with his family, where he was granted asylum. The lightning-fast, 12-day offensive marked the end of over 50 years of rule by the Assad family after the Syrian capital, Damascus, was taken by rebels led by jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Before being named interim prime minister, Bashir headed up the Syrian Salvation Government formed by HTS to govern territory under its control in the province of Idlib in northwest Syria, previously the last rebel stronghold under Assad's rule.

"In the coffers there are only Syrian pounds worth little or nothing. One US dollar buys 35,000 of our coins," Bashir told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. "We have no foreign currency, and as for loans and bonds, we are still collecting data. So yes, financially we are [in very bad shape]."

Countries facing foreign currency shortages are often forced to borrow more to meet debt obligations and be able to pay for imports, stunting economic growth and international business activity.